


After The Storm

by WNBH



Series: After The Storm [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Death, F/F, LGBTQ Themes, Life Partners, Life-Affirming Sex, Love, Multi, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-08-14 11:46:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 55,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16491971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WNBH/pseuds/WNBH
Summary: The ruins of Arcadia Bay lay behind Max and Chloe as they venture forward and try to figure out what to do next.  Their family and friends may be dead and the memories of the past haunt them as Max tries to regain her former self. Chloe and Max venture forward finding who they are together and helping to fix the problem the created with the storm.





	1. The Long Drive

Chloe still tense with fear and adrenaline, looked in the rear mirror every few minutes assuming the immense cloud of death and destruction had found her path and sought to reap the souls of the two people responsible for this mess.  Beads of water still dripped from her drenched hair as no inch or her clothes had survived the downpour. Her face was flush and lacking any form of color, her skin tingled with the electricity in the air and all she could feel was the rough rubber pad under her foot as she held the gas pedal as far forward as possible.  The shoes Chloe loved most, a gift from her Father, had not survived Arcadia Bay either.

A gentle air being pushed back and forth made ripples against the neck of Chloe, Max has succumbed to the terror behind her and fell asleep against Chloe’s damp shoulder.  Max wrapped her arms around Chloe’s in a simple refusal to ever let her go again. She had seen Chloe die several times and Max knew she was safe with her best friend. Chloe made it a point to look out for Max after she passed out Chloe removed the towel from the seat and brushed it over Max’s drenched hair as she darted around obstacles the storm threw in their way.  Chloe had thought to pull over but feared her truck would die or the mile-wide funnel would see them try to escape their past and change paths. She kept going forward, uttering “have to keep going, just go, get the hell outta here” in her mind as the desire to turn around and see if her Mom or David had made it out alive. She kept glancing down at her phone waiting for a text but she had no signal and neither did Max.

An hour passed and Chloe yawned with utter exhaustion, as if knowing this was her signal to wake up, Max slowly opened her eyes and said in a soft voice,

“ _Was that a dream?_ ”  Max had leaped through the past so many times her mind was unsure of what was real anymore, her mind felt like it had ripped in half and she questioned everything she had ever experienced.

“ _I wish it was just a dream_ ,” Chloe said in a small yet ominous voice.

“ _I think_ …” Chloe continued but paused for a few seconds.  “ _Max, they’re all gone.  Mom, Frank, D..David_.” Chloe stuttered at the name of her stepfather David, her mind had wanted to call him “Stepdouche” but her heart knew better.  He was the reason they were alive, he saved them both, and she had known David truly loved Chloe and her Mom. Max sat up and slowly let go of Chloe’s arm, realizing she had held so tight Chloe’s arm was red and left an imprint of her hand.

“ _I knew you thought I was irresistible_!” Chloe said lightly with a playful voice trying to ease the tension.  At that point, Chloe felt it again, the feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that told her something was not right.  Chloe coughed and forced the unease down as she shifted in her seat.

Max looked up at Chloe finally grasping she was not in a dream or a former memory but alive with Chloe.

“ _Chloe, do you think they’re all really gone?  I mean I helped a few before I made it to the lighthouse.  Do you think Joyce and David are okay and … Kate, Warren_?” she spoke said in a strong tone that sounded like her.

“ _I…I don’t.  Know.”_ Chloe said with no belief that anyone but Max and herself had made it from the grasp of death.  Chloe wanted to believe everyone survived and the only death was Mark Jefferson being strung across power lines as he felt every inch of pain he ever caused anyone.  Chloe pictured a piece of metal flying through the storm and finding its mark directly in his temple slicing any remaining life from his evil mind as the metal sliced his head in two.  Chloe clenched her fist and rammed it against the dash in anger.

“ _Dammit that asshole, it’s all his fault! Everything!  Rachel, you, me this whole God damned storm was because that asshat had to take pervy ass pictures of girls he could never get!  I hope his nuts get caught on barbed wire has every piece of him was cut up and destroyed by that storm! I can just imagine his creepy little balls rolling around on the ground that nutless shit deserves to die.  FUCK_!” Chloe screamed in absolute frustration of everything he did.  Rachel was dead and the pain she didn’t have time to truly feel sunk deep in her heart at that moment and all she could do was let out a devastating tear-filled sob she had held back for too long.

Max found Chloe’s warm hand and laid her fingers on top.  Chloe interlaced her fingers with Max’s small yet comfortable hand and gripped tightly.  At that moment, Max had every desire to let out a whimper in pain but knew this was a pain she would have to endure with Chloe.  Max gathered the strength and turned around to find the storm had ended. The death had been replaced with the most beautiful sunset her heart had ever embraced.  Max looked around and found her bag, the only appropriate thing to do at this moment was taking a picture.

 


	2. It Is Finished

A strong ache pierced every fiber of Chloe’s being, the pain of the last few hours was suddenly realized and Chloe wanted nothing but a long rip of weed from pipe left somewhere in the rubble of Arcadia Bay.  Her eyes grew weak and it grew harder to keep her eyelids from meeting in the middle and give her the sweet sleep she hungered for. Max had noticed as she kept looking at Chloe every few seconds, assuring herself this was still real and she was still with her best friend.  A sign appeared leading way to a motel just two miles ahead, luckily Max was able to keep the Money her and Chloe were supposed to give to Frank. A thousand dollars would not go far but it would get them a warm bed and a hot shower for the night.

“ _ Hey Chlo, pull over ahead at that motel.  We both need sleep. _ ” Max said in an obviously tired voice.  

Chloe wanted to fight and keep driving but even her fierce spirit was no match for the destruction of everything and everyone she ever knew.  “ _ Okay _ ,” Chloe said softly.

From the trees appeared a small motel that looked to have no more than ten rooms.  Only one car was in the lot and with the amount of dust and leaves, it had been there awhile.  In front of the office stood two vending machines providing all the sodas and candy Max and Chloe could possibly need for their trip; though most probably expired well before either was born.  As they pulled into the lot, a fluffy white Huskey stood on all fours with the arrival of visitors. The dog did not move an inch but sized up the two girls as they exited the truck, it sat down slowly seeing no threat and laid its nose back on top of the white and grey paws resting on the ground. 

“ _ Aww, he’s so pretty! _ ” Max said in a high pitch voice as she looked in her bag for one of the only possessions she had left, her camera. 

“ _ It’s a she. _ ” Stated a deep voice from within the open office door.  “ _ Her name is Delilah and she bites people for less _ .”  Said the owner as she spit a dark brown wad of tobacco in the gravel five feet from the door.

“ _ Who the hell names their dog De…” _ Chloe muttered under her breath before getting a switch jab in the side from Max with a stern yet extremely cute look.  That feeling felt its way back into Chloe’s stomach, she chose not to ignore it this time and shot Max an awkward smile.

“ _ You two need a room for the night?  You and that truck look worse than the morning after waking up to my ex-husband! _ ”  The owner said, sending small specks of tobacco from her cheek as she stepped forward into the light that flickered.  “ _ My name’s Barb, I own this hole in the wall. _ ”

Barb stood at least six foot three and looked like she could rip down a tree with her bare hands.  She had a deep tan to match her brunette hair and no inch or Barb appeared to be graceful in nature.  Deep veins poked from the top of Barb’s biceps as they tried to fit beneath her oversized plaid button-down shirt.  Barb was quite well endowed though it seemed to match her size quite well; Chloe couldn’t help but look.

Barb waved the two to follow her into the office and as Max and Chloe entered, their jaws dropped in utter amazement of the elegant furnishings.  Deep warm mahogany floors shined beneath a small chandelier that looked to be crystal. A plush leather sofa sat with a golden trim sat against the far wall and just above rested a painting of the most beautiful sunset over Arcadia Bay Max had ever seen.  Max couldn’t help but to step closer to see if it was real; she could see every perfect stroke containing every color of the rainbow and then some her brain had yet to comprehend. The bay looked serene, like a sleeping baby with no care or concern in the world and at the bottom of the painting, the initials “B.W.” could be seen just slightly as to not interrupt the view. 

“ _ Who is B.W. _ ? Max asked in a shocked voice unable to take her gaze from the painting.

“ _ Oh, that would be Barb Wilson.  Me. _ ” The burly motel owner said in a nonchalant voice as she rifled through a drawer.

“ _ You painted this?  I…I’ve never seen anything more… anything so… _ ” Max said trying to find words but stopped trying as the painting obviously went well beyond the description of any poet dead or alive.

“ _ Yup, _ ” Barb said unimpressed.  “ _ So a room?  Guess I can give you two the weekday seein’ as you’re the only people to stop here in a week.  How’s fifty sound, I’ll even warm up the pool for ya? _ ” Barb asked the two.

Before Max could say a word, Chloe stepped forward with a big grin and put her hands on the room key, “ _ We’ll take it!  Max pay the Ma.. Manager. _ ” Chloe said almost calling the owner a Man. 

“ _ Ain’t no Manager here, I got rid of his cheating ass when I divorced him! _ ” said Barb in a strong tone that instantly made Chloe regret her verbal mishap. 

“ _ Sorry, _ ” Chloe squeaked out silently with her down inspecting her shoes and avoiding any sight of Barb’s gaze.

Max opened her bag and handed the owner fifty dollars as a few pictures fell to the floor and made a home at the feet of Barb.  Max tried to bend down but Barb had beat her to the punch, a smile broke out across her face making way for surprisingly white teeth.  Barb locked her gaze on the picture Max took as a sunset broke through the storm. What felt like a decade passed when Barb said in a soft hushed voice, “ _ Room is on the house if I can have this. _ ”

Max’s head slowly lowered as a tear ran across her cheek, “ _ That’s all I have. _ ” 

Chloe’s arm raised from the desk and made haste to meet the back of Max’s tiny frame assuring her she would be okay.

Barb’s hands slowly lowered as she handed the stack of pictures back to Max.  The tiny hand of Max met Barb’s as the pictures were handed back to their rightful owner.

“ _ Room is on me tonight, I can tell there was a lot of pain in that picture of yours.  Beauty is never taken without some kind of sacrifice. _ ”  Said Barb as she tossed the key to Chloe.  “ _ Room one, I’ll get the pool goin’ for you two. _ ”

Chloe led Max out of the office with her arm still wrapped across the back of Max refusing to let go.  The sun found its home behind the trees as the sky glowed a peaceful orange. Delilah’s eyes closed knowing the end of another day had come.  Chloe found a door with a golden “1” on the wall and entered another palace. All Chloe could see was a king size bed draped in what looked like a hundred pillows.  She let her arm drop from Max and made a straight-out sprint towards the bed, she bounced from the floor like a gymnast and landed in the plushest pool of pillows she had ever felt.  Her arms still out like a bird, she lay there and exhaled a sigh of relief.

Max’s gaze slowly left her pictures and the pain quickly left her body as her eyes found a glowing blue pool beyond the sliding glass door at the back of the room.  She stowed the pictures in her bag and left it just inside the room as she closed the door behind her. Max walked in a zombie-like state seeking the warm relief of the blue waters.  Chloe, realizing life existed beyond the plush bed, looked up and found what Max’s eyes had been locked on.

“ _ Fuck yeah dude, hella sweet! _ ”  Chloe resounded across the room in an excited voice.  She made it to her feet and took removed her pants and torn tank top revealing violet panties and a black bra; Chloe had a scratch across her ribs that looked to be healing.  Completely mesmerized by the call of the pool, Chloe grabbed a towel from the bathroom and opened the glass door. Chloe was about to perform her world renown cannonball from a nearby chair but thought it not best as Barb was bent down checking the water temperature.

Barb raised to her feet and said, “ _ Don’t break nothin’, I’m goin’ to bed. _ ” Then Barb gave a high pitch whistle summoning her white husky to her side.  Barb closed the office door behind her and a few seconds later the light from the window went dark signaling to Chloe the pool was all hers.

Chloe edged her foot slowly into the warm water which soon followed her leg, torso and ultimately her head.  The blue water washed the pain from her soul, the ebb and flow crashing the day piece by piece from her body.  Chloe pushed back against the wall and laid her arms on the floor, she was completely at peace. Max, realizing Chloe had lost sight of her for the minute, removed her soggy clothes left to a petite pair of Hawt Dawg Man panties and pink bra.  Max’s torso looked like she had been a human punching bag, areas of her chest were purple with bruising and looked painful to the touch. She made her way from the motel room and entered the pool on the stairs by Chloe hoping she had gone unnoticed.

“ _ Why look, there’s an otter in my water!” _ Chloe said with eyes closed but a smile covering her face. 

Chloe’s eyes slowly opened and she saw Max in front of her with a grin, in her hand above water was an opened dusty bottle of wine had found in the room’s refrigerator. 

Max took a long drink of the fruity wine and coughed as she lowered the bottle showing her innocence in the art of drinking.  Chloe laughed, took the bottle from Max and drank an equally large swig from the bottle.

“ _ Wow, that’s sweet!  Oh look, it’s French! _ ” Chloe said looking at the words on the label in a language she assumed was French.  She took another drink and handed the bottle back to Max. A warm feeling overcame Max, the stress and pain of the day completely forgotten.  All Max could see was Chloe, a wet Chloe almost naked in front of her with no one around. Max took a sip and peered deep into Chloe’s eyes unable to think of anything.  She took yet another sip and handed the bottle back to Chloe.

Chloe raised the bottle to her lips and leaned back, as she lowered the drops of sweet bliss into her mouth, something soft found her neck.  That deep rumbling in Chloe’s stomach had surfaced and overcame every nerve ending in her body. The hairs stood on her arms and the air flowed with electricity as her lips found Max’s warm red lips that taste sweeter than the wine.  Chloe, not wanting to think rested her hand on Max’s cheek, Chloe laid deep into Max’s lips with her own. Her hand slid behind the head of Max and the fingers of Chloe found every wet strand of Max’s hair; it was so soft that Chloe almost stopped to appreciate her hair even more but Max continued kissing her.

Minutes had past and Max slowly removed her lips from Chloe’s, Max’s eyes slowly up to find the tired eyes of Chloe.

“ _ Chloe, is this real?”  _ Max asked, unsure if she had succumbed to the alcohol or if she was in another dream. 

At that second, Max had passed out and, with perfect time, Chloe wrapped her arms around Max catching her before her head hit the water.  Chloe smiled at Max, the beautiful angel that had saved her life, had been her best friend and had helped get a resolution to the death of Rachel.  Chloe kissed Max once more, the tiniest of a moan escaped the red lips of Max and Chloe carried her to the room wrapped in her arms. That feeling deep in her stomach became too loud to ignore, to violent to repress.  The butterflies signaling love flew in every inch of her soul. As Chloe gently closed the backdoor not wanting to wake Max, her tired eyes caught sight of a beautiful blue butterfly making its way high into the air through the distant trees and at that point Chloe found what she had been struggling with the past few weeks.

“ _ I love her! _ ” 


	3. Pancakes

A cold air hit Max’s legs as she sat in the plush leather chair with eyes closed.  A gentle buzzing could be heard from the fluorescent lights beating down a fake glow on her skin.  Every few seconds, a clicking sound could be heard just feet away from her. The clicking sound was familiar, she knew what it was but as she tried to open her eyes, the lights in front of her were blinding.  Max managed to turn her head and peak through the glow only to see she was once again deep in the bowels of hell, she was strapped to the chair in the Prescott bunker. Max thrashed violently finally coming to a full realization where she was but her hands and feet were firmly secured to the chair.  The click made its way to her again with a split-second flash, someone was taking her picture again.

“ _ Who the hell are you? Mr. Jefferson is that you? _ ” Max yelled, unsure of how she was in this place again.  Thoughts raced through her mind like a train, had she managed to turn back time and reverse everything that happened?  The clicking and flashes from the camera continued as Max struggled to free herself.

A shape could be seen moving the camera but Max was unable to make out who it was torturing her again.

“ _ Talk to me dammit, why are you doing this?  Let me go! _ ” Max screamed in utter frustration.

All the lights in the room went dark, blinding Max for a few moments while her eyes adjusted to the dark.  The sound of music could be heard, Max was unable to decipher who was playing but it seemed to tame the beast in her for the time being.  A warm hand relaxed on Max’s shoulder, rubbing and caressing her. Max tried to fight but it felt too good, she struggled halfhearted to shake off the hand and a few seconds later it left her shoulder.  The scent of vanilla found the small nose of Max, it filled the room and added another layer to the music. 

A calm woman’s voice then said from the side of her just out of vision range, “ _ Don’t fight this Max, I know it’s what you want.  I waited so long for this Max, now it’s my turn! _ ”

The brown hair of Max raised in the back and beneath a pair of lips found their mark.  The gentlest of kisses made their way from side to side of Max’s tiny neck as the fingers went through every strand of her hair.

“ _ No… _ ” Max tried to get out but her body refused to let her fight any further.  “ _ Stop, _ ” Max again tried to say but failed horribly.

The pair of lips found their way to the petite earlobe of Max, planted a kiss and whispered, “ _ Stop fighting fate, it was destined to happen _ .”

Max turned her head to the right towards the direction of the violating lips and her eyes found the bright blue eyes of Chloe Price.  Max sat stunned and not able to comprehend how she got her with Chloe and what exactly was happening.

“ _ Chl… _ ” Max trying to question Chloe but a finger was placed in front of her lips.

Chloe now stood in front of Max and cut the tape binding her arms and feet to the chair.  The warm hand of Chloe took hold of Max and guided her to the sofa just behind the darkened lights.  All in one motion, Max sat down and Chloe straddled Max being more effective than the duct tape had been; Max was unable to move.  Chloe embraced Max and kissed every inch of her clothed body. The room became euphoric with the sound of music and candles lit at the back of the room.  Max would be in heaven if it weren’t for the horrific memories she had in this room. Victoria, Nathan, Rachel, and so many others were abducted and forced to be the victim of a sadistic killer in this very spot; a tear ran down Max’s cheek at that moment and Chloe stopped.

“ _ Max, he will never hurt you again, he will never hurt anyone ever again!  You have me and I’ll never leave you again. _ ” Chloe said with the slightest tone of anger in her voice.  “ _ Don’t you want me? _ ” Chloe then asked Max questioning everything she had done.

Memories flooded Max’s brain from them being pirates together as children to that innocent kiss in Chloe’s room.  It all made sense now and Max suddenly felt stupid for not seeing it sooner.

“ _ I’m so sorry Chloe, I never saw this before.  You’ve always been the one and it took me all these years to finally see it!  I hope I’m not too late. _ ” A crying Max said trying to wipe her tears away but unable to with Chloe atop her.

Chloe’s hand with purple and black fingernail polish found Max’s cheek to wipe away the tear.  In a voice choking back tears, Chloe said, “ _ It’s never too late for you! _ ”

At that point Max pushed forward and kissed Chloe with her whole soul and being, letting every emotion she’s ever felt for Chloe out.  Max managed to pull her arms from beneath Chloe and push Chloe back helping her to find the carpeted floor. 

“ _ Mighty Max, _ ” Chloe said giggling and crying at the same time.

Chloe sat up and removed Max’s white t-shirt with a now worn doe on the front; the shirt made its way to the corner of the room.  Following suit, Max, with Chloe’s help removed Chloe’s top but Chloe topped her and also removed her bra. Max was in shock, she had seen Chloe naked plenty of times but had never viewed her in this way before.  The artist in Max came out as she studied the curves of Chloe and found every perfect angle of the woman she was realizing her love for. The candlelight highlighted Chloe’s cheeks as Max raised her hand to meet them if only she had her camera with her and completely ignoring the very expensive setup in front of her.

Max let go her inhibition and fears and stood up removing her clothes piece by piece.  She stood above Chloe completely naked refusing to place her hands over her private parts, she knew Chloe wouldn’t judge her.  Chloe stood to her feet and removed the remaining clothing left between her and Max. Chloe slowly extended her arm towards the small stomach of Max and at the second Max was teleported back to the motel room with a loud bang.

“ _ You guys want some pancakes?  Be out in ten or Delilah will get em’. _ ” Said the burly voice of Barb, the owner of the motel.

Max opened her eyes to find Chloe sleeping next to her with her tattooed arm wrapped around her.  The realization that it was just a dream struck Max like a truck, she decided to not tell Chloe about it yet as Max wouldn’t be sure how Chloe would take it.  As Max rose from the bed a pounding hit her head, “ _ What the hell happened last night? _ ” Max was unable to remember anything that happened prior to entering the pool.

Ten minutes later Chloe and Max were sitting at the table with Barb consuming fluffy pancakes caked in butter and syrup at an inhuman rate.

“ _ So good. Thanks. _ ” Chloe said with barely an inch of space left in her mouth. 

Barb released a hearty laugh at the two, “ _ Want some bacon? _ ” she asked.

” _ Dude, you rock! Hell yeah! _ ” Chloe said wondering how this day could get any better.

Max was quietly consuming her food trying to not aggravate her roaring headache.  Flashes of pictures with her and Chloe in the pool occasionally made a brief appearance in her head; unable to decipher what was real or fake she dismissed most of them.

“ _ What trouble you two up to today? _ ” Barb asked as she sat down with a heaping pile of bacon that Chloe soon raided.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders and Max dared not look up as it was bright in the room. 

“ _ I think we’ll start heading east today, _ ” Max said in a quiet voice.

Chloe stopped consuming bacon realizing Max had a hangover from the night before.  She grinned at Max and whispered, “ _ How’s the head? _ ”

Barb let out another laugh that echoed through the room and stood up making her way to a back cabinet.  The sound of liquid being poured into a glass was heard and Barb soon returned as she placed the glass with a clear liquid in front of Max.

“ _ Drink up, it’ll help! _ ” Barb said to Max with a motherly look.

Max downed the glass in two gulps and immediately cough, “ _ What is that? _ ”  She coughed a few more times at the brisk and violent nature of the drink.

Barb shot a smile at Max and began clearing the table of dishes seeing Chloe leaning back in the chair rubbing her bloated stomach.  Max, remembering her manners, stood up trying to help but Barb shook her head at her with a smile and Max sat back down slowly.

Max had an idea of what she wanted to do but didn’t know what Chloe would think of. 

“ _ Chloe, I think I want to go up on the mountain and see if we can get a better view of Arcadia Bay; maybe we can see something! _ ”  Max said.

As a child, Max had gone to the mountain with her parents every other weekend.  The views from the top were spectacular and, with the provided binoculars, maybe they could see some sign of life.  Max at least hoped for life anyway.

Chloe agreed to the plan with no argument and they both made their way back to the room thanking Barb for her extreme hospitality.  The room looked like a tornado had it, pillows all over the floor and their dirty clothes were strewn across the bed as a reminder of the past day.  Max gathered all their clothes and stuffed them in a bag as Chloe tried her best to get the pillows to fit on the bed. The room looked acceptable to Chloe, she made one last look around and opened the door to leave.  Max started feeling better with the prospect of seeing Arcadia Bay and possibly the mystery liquid Barb gave her. She followed Chloe out of the room towards the office as she rummaged through her bag making sure the camera was still safe.

Barb sat in the office petting the white husky that slept across her across her large lap.  She met the eyes of Chloe and Max as they entered the room with a warm smile to welcome them.

“ _ Thanks for stoppin’ in, was nice havin’ company fer a change.  I put somethin’ in the truck, hope it helps the journey. _ ” Barb said as she continued to stroke the back of Delilah.  “ _ Have a safe trip! _ ” she continued.

“ _ Fuck that! _ ” Chloe exclaimed catching both Barb and Max off guard.  Chloe stood with arms out demanding a hug from Barb.

Barb stood up and gave her a tight embrace followed by a hug for Max that lifted her a few feet off the ground.  She smiled and sat back down allowing the white dog to continue being pampered.

“ _ No go before I charge you for the bottle of wine! _ ” she said reminding Max of the night before.

Max and Chloe waved as they reached the door.  Sitting in the passenger seat of Chloe’s truck was a box filled with food, clothes and a few things that would surely help them on the way to wherever they were headed.


	4. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe make their way up the mountain to try and see Arcadia Bay from above. Had anyone escaped the storm or was everyone they known dead and gone?

An hour had passed as Chloe winded up the mountain path inching closer to their destination.  Both Max and Chloe had their windows down letting in the cool breeze to massage their hair lick the wounds of the past days. 

“ _ So about last night, what happened?  Everything is still a bit fuzzy, I guess I was more tired than I realized. _ ” Max asked yet still scared of the answer Chloe would give her. 

Chloe laughed with a glance at Max, “ _ Well, there was an otter in the water and me being a shark I had to attack.  You don’t remember all the blood? _ ”

“ _ Chloe!  What really happened? _ ” Max asked with a frustrated tone.

“ _ We’ll talk about it later; can you hand me the little bag from under your seat?  I need to take my vitamins. _ ” Chloe replied nonchalantly.

Max blindly searched beneath the seat and found a bag no bigger than a coin purse coated in tiny pot leaves; she instantly knew what Chloe had hidden from her.  Max handed to bag to Chloe with a stern motherly look on her face.

“ _ Dude, Vitamin T, H, and C are very important to your physical and mental well-being! _ ”  Chloe said packing her pipe and raising it to her mouth. 

It was an art to see Chloe light the pipe and drive at the same time, she had this maneuver with her shoulder that required some physical ability that belonged in a circus.  She sucked back a massive inhale, held it for what felt like an eternity and released an immense cloud of puffy smoke throughout the cabin. Max, being in the direct path of the cloud, failed to prepare her to inhale and exhale and got a direct hit to the face forcing her to cough unrelentingly.  Chloe gave Max a few pats on the back with a choke and a laugh as she inhaled three more times and all three times letting the smoke release in Max’s direction.

Max started to feel relaxed, her focus of the mountain and Arcadia Bay quickly left her mind for the time being and such turned to notice Chloe.  Thoughts raced through Max’s mind, thoughts of Chloe in a sexual manner and thoughts of things she’d like to do with and to Chloe. Flashbacks to the pool filled her head and Max put her hand on Chloe’s leg.  Had Chloe’s leg always felt so warm to the touch and how did she get her skin to be soft? Max rubbed her fingers across the skin of Chloe’s leg, realizing Chloe shaved recently.

Chloe looked to the right and saw Max focused on her leg.  She studied Max in the sunlight and found every strand of hair to be perfectly placed across her forehead.  Extinguishing the pipe and putting it safely in the small bag, Chloe placed her hand on the back of Max’s head, stroking her hair; it was softer than she could have believed after all the chlorine in the pool. 

“ _ We’re here _ ,” Chloe said seeing a large sign for the State Park one mile ahead.

Max and Chloe simultaneously removed their hands from each other and still sat in a daze.  As they reached the peak of the mountain, a large cabin met their eyes with words, “Park Office.”  They pulled up and as Max opened her door a violent flowery smell covered her every sense. Chloe was spraying what looked to be a five-dollar bottle of gas station perfume on them both.

“ _ Gotta cover up the smell dude.  I’ll just say you farted if they ask! _ ” Chloe said slamming her door and laughing. 

They entered the park office and found a middle-aged man dressed in a green uniform behind a standard desk.  He smiled at the top as they both perused the long row of brochures. 

“Bears and You”

“Berries Can Kill”

“Cats You Never Want to Pet”

The row went on as if they were shopping for a poorly named horror movie.  The man behind them stood up and said,

“ _ So what brings you to the mountain today?  Doing a little hiking or just here to get high? _ ”

Chloe dropped the pamphlet on tree bark and turned around quickly saying, “ _ Dude, we don’t smo… _ ”

The Park Ranger laughed at her, “ _ I’m not here to bust you, just making a joke.  As long as you don’t burn down a tree, I’m cool.  But seriously though, you should check out the views today; it hasn’t been this clear in weeks! _ ” He said turning around and finding his way back to the desk.

Chloe let out a big exhale in relief she wasn’t going to jail; her record ad enough infractions to get her some time behind bars.  Max and Chloe took a map, waved at the ranger and headed up the path to the peak. A cloud couldn’t be seen in any direction and the breeze was spectacular on the unusually warm day.  They continued up the path occasionally making a pot joke and saying how cool the Park Ranger was.

After ten minutes, Chloe and Max made it to the peak of the mountain and found a large wooden platform with five large metal binoculars mounted to the railings.  Max rummaged through her pockets and found a handful of quarters, inserting one each in two of the metal machines. She was almost scared to see what was below, would there be any form of life or just death?

Chloe, sensing Max’s hesitance said, “ _ Want a booster seat? _ ”

Max gave Chloe a love tap on the arm and smiled back as her eyes met the binoculars.  Max found her bearings and searched miles below to find Arcadia Bay. She saw people, though a lot of the buildings were destroyed, some survived. 

“ _ Chloe there are people down there! _ ” Max said excitingly.  “ _ I Can’t make out anyone but there are definitely people down there and they look okay.  Should we go back? _ ”

Chloe slowly backed away and her smiled dropped to form a very serious form.

“ _ Why? Why should we go back there after everything that happened?  No one is looking for us, no one cares for us so why should we go back? _ ” Chloe said but then realizing her Mom may still be alive.

Max’s toned dropped to match Chloe’s as she said, “ _ They do care about us! What about your Mom, Frank, David, even Kate could be there!  Don’t you want to see if they’re okay? Don’t you want to help them recover what I did?  Don’t you care? _ ”

Max looked to see Chloe on her knees crying into her hands, she bent down next to her and wrapped her arm to comfort Chloe.  Max tried to wipe tears from her cheek but they were coming faster than a waterfall.

“ _ I do care, I do want to know but I need you to be with me, _ ” Chloe said through the choking of her crying.

“ _ I’ll always be with you, we’ve been together since the start and I’m not leaving you now. _ ” Said Max trying to assure Chloe.

Chloe stood up, wiped the tears from her face and placed her hands atop Max’s tiny shoulders.

In a very serious and focus tone Chloe said staring deep into Max’s brown eyes, “ _ Max, you and I have something.  Something so great we caused we that down there and I think we need to figure us out before we can go back to Arcadia Bay.  What if….what if we take a trip and find out what’s really here with you and Me then, maybe, go back and find out what happened down there. _ ”

Chloe had rarely been this serious with Max but Max knew what Chloe meant.  Max turned around and crossed her arms thinking about all the options. They could go back down and help people, see who is alive and help with the dead.  Or they could be alone, just the two of them and find out what these feelings were and how to handle them. 

Max turned back around after a few minutes and placed her hands on Chloe’s shoulders, “ _ Fine, let’s take this trip then come back and help where we can.  But where are we going to go? _ ”  Max said with a puzzled look on her face.

” _ Don’t worry about that, I have a plan matey! _ ” Chloe said letting out an “Arrrrr” with her finger in the shape of a hook.

Chloe and Max sat at a nearby bench and took account of everything they with them as Chloe tried to figure out what it would take to get them to her secret destination.  Chloe wrote down math across a piece of paper that mesmerized Max and took her back to when they were younger. Chloe even stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth proving real thought was at work.  Max, taking the opportunity, gave a quick lick on the side of her face and ran down a side path laughing. They chased each other for what felt like hours, laughing and giggling like they were five in Chloe’s backyard.  Out of pure exhaustion, they both fell to the ground trying to catch their breath, to their left the sun had set perfectly through the trees and let forth a perfect beam of light hitting them both across the face. Max tiredly got to her feet and rummaged through her bag to find the camera.

Max laid back down next to Chloe and raised her camera above them.

“ _ There will always be sunsets, You and I together are all that matters right now,” Max said as she took a picture of the two laying side by side. _

_ They both laid there till the sun have fully rested behind the surrounding mountains.  Max rested her head atop Chloe’s arm and had her arm across Chloe’s stomach. Nothing could touch them at this point, both Max and Chloe utterly serene and enjoying every second of each other.  As Chloe went to scratch her nose, a loud buzzing was heard and the large light flickered on. _

“ _ Is it really that late? We better go and see if Barb has a room available again. _ ” Chloe said helping Max to her feet.

Max reached down and interlocked her fingers with Chloe’s, the butterflies came rushing back and gave Chloe’s cheeks a bright red hue; her heart jumped a beat in excitement.  They reached the truck and as they were about to get in, they noticed the back gate had been locked and the lights were off in the office. Chloe found a scribbled note on her windshield written on Park stationery:

“ _ We had an emergency and didn’t have time to find you.  I put blankets and some food in the back of your truck, if it gets too cold just go in the office, the code is “1 2 3 4”. _

_ I’ll be back at 5 am, here’s the number for an emergency, “9 1 1” _

_ -Jake, Park Ranger _

_ You’ll be fine. _ ”

At the bottom of the note, Jake had drawn a winking smiley face next to his name.

” _ That ass! _ ” Chloe said crumbling up the note and throwing it at the office door.

“ _ Well, he did leave is blankets and food and look at the stars, I haven’t seen them this clear for years, _ ” Max said staring to the sky.

The sky was so clear, every star could be seen better than either had ever seen.  Chloe, the closet science nerd, studied the sky trying to find different constellations and finally find the big dipper as she pointed them out to Max.

Chloe let down the tailgate of her truck, climbed in and laid down a bed of blankets for the two.  In the brown paper bag, Chloe found a few bags of chips, some soda cans, and a few apples. 

Max climbed up and joined her, “ _ Chips and Soda, he knows you too well. _ ” Said Max assessing what was left in the bag.

Chloe laid down on the blanket and stared up to the night’s sky taking in the beauty and utter perfection of the moment.  Max took her place next to Chloe but decided to use Chloe as a pillow placing her head on Chloe’s chest. She heard every thump and beat of Chloe’s heart, it gradually increased the pace which made Max smile and listen even closer.  Chloe kissed Max on the forehead and continue looking above to the stars, she hadn’t been this happy since her days with Rachel. Memories flashed in Chloe’s mind of Rachel, days she loved just as much but at that moment she accepted that Rachel was gone and could never come back.  She would always love Rachel and never forget the moments they shared but Max had been there since the beginning and was there now.

The sounds of crickets and trees rustling caressed their ears as the moonlight made way to illuminate the area.  Chloe turned on her side letting Max’s head rest on the blanket and whispered, “ _ I love you, Max, I hope you know that! _ ” as Chloe closed her eyes falling asleep quickly.

Max focused on those words with intent, all the times she used them was meant for her family but this was different.  Did she love Chloe as more than a friend? Max smiled and with every doubt brushed away like a hair from her head, said to Chloe, “ _ Chloe, I love you too. _ ”  She closed her eyes and snuggled close to Chloe beneath the plaid blanket.  Max felt safer than she ever had and knew beyond any doubt she was next to the person she was meant to be with for the rest of her life.


	5. Two Whales Diner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finds herself at the Two Whales Diner but a mysterious visitor.

The glorious smell of bacon and coffee wafted through the Two Whales Diner as an old country tune played in the background.  The diner was surprisingly empty being a sunny morning, Joyce worked her magic behind the counter awaiting a tall stack of pancakes and a side of bacon.  The street outside was surprisingly vacant as well, the semi that usually parked across the street was gone and no one stood waiting for the 9:15 bus.

“ _ Here you go Max, just what the doctor ordered. _ ” Said Joyce laying the overflowing plate of pancakes and bacon in front of Max with a cup of steaming hot coffee.  Joyce patted Max on the shoulder, shot her a smile and walked away humming a tune to herself. Max picked up the container of syrup and drenched the plate leaving no spot untouched.  As she cut into the stack, Max heard the front door open which she promptly ignored as the more important topic of food was at hand. Her eyes closed as the pancakes touched her tongue, it was better than anything she had ever tasted in her life.  The fluffy goodness overwhelmed her senses as she let out an exhale of delight.

“ _ Nothing better than Joyce’s cooking, I miss it! _ ” said a voice that promptly followed the sound of someone sitting down in front of Max.

Max, completely embarrassed, choked down the pancakes and followed it with a drink of water to wash it down.  Across from Max sat a person she recognized but could not place who she was; perhaps it was a classmate from Blackwell she had seen in the hall.  Max struggled to remember but the thought kept escaping her. The girl was absolutely stunning with her dark blond hair but she had such a presence of immense beauty Max had a stronger hunger to take her picture.  The girl had rested her chin in her hands admiring Max and the struggle to consume the pancakes; she gave a precious laugh as she looked on.

“ _ Now I see why she likes you so much _ ,” the girl said staring at Max with a smile.

Max took another drink of water and said, “ _ I’m sorry, do I know you?  Do you go to Blackwell too? _ ”

The smile dropped slightly at Max’s words which did not go unnoticed by Max.

“ _ I went to Blackwell, yes but we’ve never formally met sadly.  Chloe showed me a picture of you and talked about you a lot. _ ” the young woman said sitting back in the seat staring intently at Max.

“ _ Oh, you’re a friend of Chloe’s! Do you know her through Frank? _ ” Max asked though she hesitated at Frank’s name.

A serious tone struck the face of the girl with Max’s question, she almost looked angry at Max but said, “ _ We both knew Frank, Chloe actually introduced me to him.  I do really miss him...and Pompidou! Enough about me, tell me about yourself, Max, I really don’t know as much as I want too. _ ”

Max started to feel a bit nervous, this mysterious person that so couldn’t place knew who she was and Chloe tell her about Max.  Max, not wanting to be rude, replied,

“ _ I’m not anything special, just Max I guess.  I like taking pictures. _ ”

“ _ A modest one, you and Chloe really are opposites...and opposites… attract. _ ” said the girl but hesitating to finish her sentence.  She continued to stare at Max, taking in every aspect of her, how she scratched her nose and how she drank water in nervousness.  

“ _ Max, my name is Rachel.  Rachel Amber. I hear you are in love with Chloe.  Is that true? _ ” abruptly asked the girl.

Max spit water on the table in shock from the question but the girl ignored the mishap.  Max grabbed a few napkins from the dispenser and cleaned the table. She used this time to think of her response, Max knew Chloe and Rachel were such good friend, maybe more?

“ _ I, umm.  I do. I do love Chloe.  I don’t want my life to go any further without her in it. _ ” Max said assuredly.  Rachel opened her mouth to speak but Max continued.

“ _ I’m sorry about what happened to you Rachel, I truly am!  I hope justice will be served and what happened to you will never happen to anyone again.  But, just know that Chloe never gave up on you, even when everyone said you left, Chloe kept looking.  Did you know she talks about you in her sleep? _ ” 

A small tear ran down Rachel’s cheek but a smile struck her face with Max’s words.  Rachel wiped the tear away slowly, looking at her wet finger studying the tear’s delicate features.  She wiped her nose and said, 

“ _ Max, I know Chloe loved...loves me, I do.  But I know what she has with you is more powerful than any play written or any movie made.  Chloe and I...we had something...different. I don’t think there are words for it quite honestly.  But Max, you have what her and I can never have. I can’t be there for her anymore. _ ”

Rachel stood up and turn around but stopped for a moment.  She turned around to Max and said in departing, 

“ _ I like your shirt. _ ” 

Max looked down to see she had worn her Jane Doe t-shirt with a large brown doe on the front.  As she looked up, a doe crossed the road in front of the diner, stopped on the other side then disappeared.  Max, once again lost without her camera to capture these moments, just started at the place the doe had been.  What felt like five minutes had past and Max looked down to the table and saw a beautiful blue feather attached to an earring.  She picked up the earring and at that moment she awoke to find Chloe still resting with her arm across Max’s waist, the rise and fall of her chest entrancing Max to fall back asleep.


	6. Message Received

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe are released from their overnight prison sentence and make way to the next stop on the journey. They receive some uplifting news and come across a surprise at their destination.

“ _ You guys slept out here? Can’t believe with the bears, jaguars, cougars oh and the Bigfoot that you would sleep outside! Some serious lady balls! _ ” said Jake the park ranger knocking on the tailgate.

“ _ Didn’t mean to lock you guys in but we had an emergency to take care of and I just got done.  In need of some serious coffee! I’ll be in the office if you want to join me, the gate is open now as well if you guys just wanna jet. _ ”  He continued not realizing neither had fully woken up to his words.

Chloe held her head under the covers refusing to acknowledge any time prior to noon.  Max tried pulling the covers back but heard a growling noise warning of the impending danger ahead.  Max laughed, tried again and was welcomed with a mighty roar as Chloe sprung forth from the blanket.

In a deep voice, she said, “ _ You have woken me from my slumber and now you must pay! _ ”

Chloe pushed Max down to the blanket and initiated a  violent tickle attack to the mid of Max’s stomach. She used every method of evil torture she had acquired through the years, even resorting to removing Max’s sock and tickling her foot.

“ _ You.  Will. Pee! _ ” said Chloe staring intently at Max’s foot as if willing it was directly tied to Max’s bladder.

Max, halfway between crying and laughing, begged for mercy over and over and eventually was released from Chloe’s grip.  Chloe, accepting her fate of being up before the sun was well overhead, looked at Max and rushed in for a kiss on the lips.  She planted a large kiss directly on Max’s red lips then moved up licking Max’s forward leaving a strip of saliva. Chloe leaned back admiring her work proceeded to pack up the blankets and bags of half-eaten food lying around.

“ _ Dude, we need to hit the road!  You’ll love where we’re headed today! _ ” Chloe said with an oddly focused tone that Max had rarely heard.

At the topic of leaving, Max became very interested and said, “ _ Where are we going?  What does the wise and all-knowing master of tickling have in store for us? _ ” 

Chloe gave a bow at being called a Master and replied, “ _ You’ll just have to wait and see! _ ”

Max hated surprises and especially hated surprises at the hand of Chloe.  The thought that Chloe was completely in charge scared yet also excited her, it had been so many years since their pirate adventures as kids and this felt exactly like that.  Max had the dream of Rachel in the back of her mind but knew to not bring it up right now, Chloe was excited and Max didn’t want to ruin the great time her and Chloe had been having since letting their feeling be more known to each other.

As they backed out of the parking lot, the park ranger exited the office with a well-deserved cup of coffee and waved as they left down the mountain.  The sun had started to shine through the trees, birds were starting to sing and the world let out the beautiful smell of a new day. Max put her head out the window soaking in the cool morning air as Chloe hit the turns with a sharp squeal of the tires.  A hand touched Max’s arm requesting the presence of Max’s, she reciprocated and held Chloe’s warm hand. All was right in the world, or at least had started to feel that way. People were okay in Arcadia Bay, Chloe had a game plan and through two had started the path of becoming more than friends.  Max closed her eyes at these thoughts and just smiled with the breeze flowing through her hair.

An hour had passed and the breeze started to slow against the flush cold face of Max.  She opened her eyes and saw traffic starting to get thick ahead. Max, still unsure of where the destination was, looked around for a sign of where they might be.  Just then a sound came from Max’s bag though muffled. It was her phone though it sounded strange as phones hadn’t worked for the past few days. Max rummaged through her bag and found her phone that surprisingly still had battery life.  Wanting to charge it, she started looking around for a charger and remembered she was in Chloe’s truck which lacked anything remotely capable of charging her phone. Max unlocked her phone and was welcomed with a dozen messages that flooded in at once.  Messages from her parents, from Joyce, David, Warren and so many others trying to contact anyone they could for signs of life. 

“ _ Chloe, it’s them, all of them!  Your Mom and David are okay, they survived.  I let them know we’re okay but my signal keeps going out.  I said you’d call tonight. _ ” Max said excited grabbing Chloe’s arm.

Chloe became very and calm and still at this news and she whispered to herself, “ _ Thank you!  Thank you for listening. _ ” 

She looked at Max and gave her a smile, Max felt the tension lift from Chloe at this moment.  She was screaming and yelling out of joy but was serenely calm knowing her Mom and David, though she would never admit her feelings about David, were okay.  A few minutes late Chloe turned on the radio finding a grunge rock station and turned the dial as high as it could go. Chloe danced in her seat finally relieved at the news that everything would be okay.

Max read message after message and responded when she had a signal; she even had a text from Victoria that simply said, “Hope you’re okay Max.”  For Victoria that was a big leap from mocking and belittling Max at every turn; it almost felt like she had a heart. Max knew the truth about Victoria and also knew that she could’ve easily been a victim and buried next to Rachel but that was prevented thanks to Max and Chloe.  

She got the middle of her texts and even found one from Kate with a prayer for her, Chloe and Chloe’s family.  Kate was so sweet and sincerely about her love for people and Max was very happy with the news that she had survived.  The last part of Kate’s message read like a diary, telling her of the recovery efforts and how Kate had managed to get food and medicine in the town where no one else could.  Max, in her mind, tagged her as “Saint Kate:” Max knew Kate had a calling to help people.

Chloe turned down the music, not because Max was holding her ears being deafened by a band called “Slobber Punch” but at the sign ahead.  She pointed to Max a sign that read, “Portland - 10 Miles.” Max was in utter shock, she loved Portland had rarely gotten to visit there. In her head, Max planned all the art studios and museums she could possibly see.  She rattled them off to Chloe in what Chloe took as gibberish. 

“ _ That storm make you suddenly speak French or something? _ ”  Chloe said with a puzzled look at Max

Max realizing Chloe did not have a hand in the art world replied, “ _ Dude!  These are must see, you’ll love them!  You’ve never been to a proper museum, wait till you see these artists. _ ” 

Chloe understood the French and said, “ _ Art?  You want to see art? Just wait till you see what I have in mind.  How’s Mexican food sound, by the way? _ ”

Chloe sat back in her seat, one hand on the wheel and stuck her lips out trying to pull off a gangster look.  Max laughed hysterically at this face which Chloe quickly stopped; Chloe sat back up and threatened to tickle Max again.  Both talked for an hour as they slowly inched their way into the outskirts of Portland. Max read the messages to Chloe from people in Arcadia Bay getting them both in a very positive state.  Max even received a call, though very faint, from Joyce which she promptly put on speakerphone for Chloe. Chloe broke down as she talked to her Mom and heard how their house only had some minor damage to the outside.  She even said to tell David “hi” which shocked Max and Joyce both. Midway during the conversation, the call started to break up and Max’s phone battery had died.

“ _ So, he’s David now?  What happened to step-douche? _ ” Max said with her arms crossed and a sly grin.  Chloe took the opportunity to unleash hell on Max as they turned off at the nearest exit.  Chloe moved her fingers so fast tickling Max that Max was unable to control herself and actually wet her pants.

“ _ Dude, not cool! _ ” Max said grabbing a towel.

Chloe was unintelligible with laughter, she had completely lost any actual human motor function.  Max looked down and saw Chloe looked to be a bit damp as well. Both girls laughed as they tried their best to contain the humor of the situation.

Chloe looked intently at the road trying to remember which road she needed to turn left or right at.  It was past lunchtime and Max’s stomach started to rumble. Chloe looked around as she drove slowly in a rough looking neighborhood.  Houses were boarded up, what looked like drug deals were happening on random street corners and Max swore she heard a gunshot which Chloe dismissed as a car backfire.

“ _ We’re here! _ ” Chloe said excitedly.  

But where here was made Max very nervous, they had pulled up to a broken down and decaying restaurant with a faint sign that read, “El Nacho.”  Chloe turned the key in the ignition, exited the truck and ran to the other side to let Max out. As Max slowly edged off her seat Chloe bowed down with an arm raised to her side and said, “ _ Madam, your food awaits! _ ”

Chloe opened the door and inside was surprisingly quaint but what caught Max’s attention was the glorious smell of sizzling food.  Every flavor she knew in Mexican food wafted in front her beckoning her to come forth and engorge upon its delights. Chloe, seeing something in the distance, grabbed Max’s arm and pulled them to the back of the room.  Sitting with what looked to be at least ten other people was Daniel DaCosta, one of their fellow classmates. 

“ _ Hola!  I’m glad to see you both are okay!  Hungry? _ ” Daniel said waved them to join the table.


	7. What the Fuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe finally make it to Portland and find the greatest hole in the wall restaurant. Daniel DaCosta, a fellow Blackwell student, is oddly present and helps the weary travelers on their trip.

Max stood in utter shock seeing her classmate as Chloe rushed to join the table and partake in the Mexican feast.  Across the long table sat every variety of Mexican food as if it were Thanksgiving though Chloe bypassed the foods she thought may contain some piece of the cow she normally didn’t consume.  After a few seconds, Max realized she was being rude and took a seat next to Chloe. 

“ _ How did you know he was here Chloe? _ ” Max asked Chloe trying to avoid the bits of food flying from Chloe’s mouth.

Obviously forgetting her manners Chloe responded, “ _ I didn’t know, he told me about this place and I came here with Rachel.  You don’t forget food like this! _ ”

Chloe continued to inhale food like a vacuum completely ignoring everyone else at the table, though they didn’t seem to mind.  

“ _ But how are you here Daniel?  What is this place? _ ” asked Max still puzzled by the random meeting.

Daniel took a sip from a dark glass, wiped his mouth and smiled at Max, “ _ Si! It is confusing, but my family owns this restaurant and you caught us at a dinner time.  I am very glad you both are safe, I was very worried that you didn’t make it!. _ ”

Max, grasping the situation better, sat a little less rigid and took in the heaping piles of food before her.  Daniel, sensing Max’s hunger, waved her to partake. She loved Mexican food but chose to stick with the foods she knew, burritos, tamales, rice, beans and of course churros.  The warm delights tasted so good in her mouth, Max had, of course, had Mexican food but the spices and flavors she consumed were none like she had ever tasted. Taking a large bite from a burrito Max looked at Chloe to see how she was faring, Chloe had succumbed to the food and slowed her pace to a crawl.  A red path of salsa led down the side of her cheek which makes took a finger and wiped clean; Daniel noticed this action.

Max and Chloe threw in the towel and could not possibly consume any more food, they are gone well beyond their physical limits.  The family had left the table midway during the feast leaving just Daniel to update them with everything he of Arcadia Bay and their classmates.  Max occasionally responded with sadness or delight based on the news as well as to provide any news she heard. A large woman donning an apron came up to the table and placed a paper in front of Max and Chloe bearing the food they had consumed.  Chloe looked at the bill and spit her drink forward to the floor in shock.

“ _ Two Hundred and Thirsty Six dollars and twenty-Six cents?  Dude, what the fuck? _ ” Chloe said absolutely exasperated.  The large woman nearby shot her a look with the appearance of cussing which Chloe quickly apologized for.  Daniel started to laugh violently at the situation, he nearly fell to the floor in a hysterical fit but found a moment to tell them the bill was a family joke.  He said they owe nothing but it would be appreciated if they helped with dishes. Chloe and Max laughed, Chloe less so, and they followed Daniel to the kitchen to help.

Piles of dishes sat in the large double sinks overwhelming the two but knew it was only right to help out since the family had been so kind to them.  Chloe grabbed the water nozzle and said, “ _ Arr matey, scrub the deck or it be the brig for you! Arr. _ ”    
Max, looking defeated, grabbed the brush and sponge and proceeded to remove the caked on dried food from the plates.  As she handed the plates to Chloe, a squirt of water made it to Max as Chloe laughed. 

“ _ You should be used to being wet, _ ” Chloe said as an obvious reminder of Max peeing herself.  Max found a 2nd water nozzle and pointed it directly at Chloe’s crotch drenching her in warm water; she stopped with a smirk and continued scrubbing.  

An hour had passed and the last plate made its way to the drying rack signaling the job had ended.  Daniel came in shortly after inspecting their work and nodding with approval. The three made their way to a back room containing a large plush leather sofa and a TV mounted to the far wall.  They sat and continued to talk about nothing imparticular as the sun slowly set through the back window. Chloe had fallen asleep on Max’s shoulder, still holding a towel to her crotch helping it dry.

“ _ So you and Chloe, I also knew there was something more between you two.  It is something I drew once, would you like to see? _ ” Daniel said to Max.

Max nodded intently and waited patiently as Daniel went page by through his sketch pad and finally landed on the picture he sought.  He handed the book to Max and across the page was Max and Chloe lying in an embrace. Max’s features were more defined than Chloe’s but the detail was amazing; he even had remembered to add Chloe’s tattoo across her arm.  There was a simple beauty of the portrait, it was not suggestive or sexual but simple and refined in nature. It echoed a sense of love and passion but with two that felt comfortable with each other.

“ _ Daniel this is so good!  I don’t even know how you did this, it’s so beautiful and perfect! _ ” Max said with a gentle tear running from the corner of her eye.  Daniel handed Max a tissue as the gentleman he was and received his book back from Max.

“ _ Everyone has pictures on Social Media, it was not hard to draw you both, _ ” he replied humbly.

The two continued their conversation about everything from friends to what Daniel would be doing next.  Daniel had made quite the impact in Portland with his art, so much so that he was paid to paint a large mural at a new city park being created.  Daniel gave Max a sneak peek at his design which he titled “Rebirth”. The picture featured Arcadia Bay being rebuilt and included people of all ethnicities and social status coming together; it was very well designed and held a lot of meaning to them both.  Max praised his design and said he hopes to see it when Daniel was finished. 

Max woke Chloe seeing it was eleven o'clock at night and led her drearily to the truck.  Chloe handed the keys to Max and continued her slumber; Max utterly shocked as Chloe would never let anyone drive her truck.  Daniel had given directions to Max for a local hotel his family also owned, luckily Max didn’t get too lost and found the hotel after a ten-minute drive.  The hotel was well kept and even featured art from Daniel on a few of the walls. Max noticed a pool in the back but saw it had a “Closed for Repairs” sign on the gate.

She entered the office and a young Woman smiled at Max asking if she was Daniel’s friend.  Max nodded, was handed a key and the Manager told her to enjoy the room with a sly grin on her face that confused Max.  Slowly opening the door, Max grabbed their things and whispered to Chloe they were at the hotel. Chloe, in a zombie-like state, followed Max up three flights of stairs to their room and unlocked the door.  Chloe, being led by Max, followed in the room and walked forward in the dark landing face first on what Max assumed was the bed. Max turned on the light and was welcomed to a massive king size bed draped in plush pillows and a comforter that rivaled the bed at Barb’s motel.  Max closed the door behind her and laid their things in a nearby chair. In the corner of the room looked to be a massive 65” plasma TV next to a full-size kitchen. Continuing her tour through the room she landed in the bathroom if it could be called that. Through a sliding wooden door was an immense three-person whirlpool tub surround by beautiful tile across the wall and floor.  Max smiled at the tub as she ached from the very long day.

Max was utterly exhausted and decided it was time to sleep.  As she opened the bag she realized her clothes were in desperate need of cleaning.  She threw hers and Chloe’s dirty clothes in the washing machine in the hallway closet.  Max stood naked and decided to just go to sleep as she was, Chloe wouldn’t mind. She pulled the covers up and entered what felt like a pillow; Max let a tiny exhale of relaxation out as she pulled the covers to her chin and closed her eyes.  A few seconds later Chloe, feeling the pain of the awkward position she landed in, removed her clothes, kicked off her shoes and entered next to Max. Chloe, still with eyes closed, wrapped herself around Max’s side using her as a pillow. The heat radiated from Chloe and Max became very aroused.  Max wrapped her arms around Chloe and kissed her neck; Chloe let out a slight moan at the action. Chloe adjusted herself against Max which felt amazing to Max and only encouraged her to increase the foreplay more.

The two intertwined and made passionate love for the next hour, making a mess of the bed and letting out screams and moans that surely woke the neighbors.  Both, utterly exhausted from the day and night, fell into each other’s arms and instantly fell asleep. From the night before to this moment, Max had never been happier than she was at that moment.  She found most of her friends had survived the storm and Chloe’s parents were alive and unharmed. The dinner with Daniel only sealed the perfect day and set the bar extremely high for the day that followed.  As Max and Chloe slept, a serene calm washed over the two easing any pain from the days prior. From death and destruction, the two had finally started to find peace and beauty in life again. The relationship got stronger as each day passed and Max dreamed of what the future held for her and Chloe.

As the sun rose it peeked through the back window hitting Chloe right in the eye.  Chloe, unable to ignore the light found herself thirsty and wanting a soda to quench her thirst from the night before.  She inched out of the bed like a snake and put on a nearby bathrobe, though she hadn’t noticed the P.C. embroidered on the front right side.  Chloe found some change, grabbed the door key and exited the room masking her face from the light. She made her way down to the first floor where a set of vending machines stood near the office.  A small man with wild hair fed the machine quarter of quarter prompting her to tell him to hurry up. He made his choice and as he turned around, Chloe’s eyes found his face. In shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops stood Warren, the boy in love with Max from Blackwell.  Chloe’s tired brain held nothing back as an exhausted Chloe said with her hand still over her eyes block the sun, “ _ What the fuck? _ ”


	8. The Unwelcome Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get awkward when Warren shows up just as Chloe and Max really ignite their spark. Really bad news starts the next part of their journey off and Chloe isn't sure she can turn things around.

Warren stood in disbelief at the sight in front of him and the greeting he had received.  “ _ Hey Chloe, what are you doing here? Is Ma..err who all is here with you? _ ” Warren asked stammering at trying to ask if Max had joined Chloe.  A red-hot flame shot up the back of Chloe’s neck, she knew Warren had feelings towards Max and seeing him here of all places stoked a fire in her.  Chloe took the opportunity to visit the vending machine and grabbed a soda. She opened the can as Warren watched awaiting a response and she downed the entire drink in three hefty gulps.

Chloe looked at Warren sizing him up and said, “ _ Yup, just me and ole Maxine.  Well, better head back now. We’re tired from all the sex we're having. _ ” She turned around and headed back without a glance or word further; Warren just stood in shock still not fully understanding what had just happened.  She opened the door to the room and closed the door louder than she had wanted, the slam of the door woke Max.

“ _ Hey Chlo, what time is it?  _ “ Max said wiping the tired from her eyes and ending with a large yawn Chloe couldn’t help but find absolutely adorable.  With arms reaching out towards Chloe, Max beckoned her to join in the bed. Chloe, still upset with the sight of the unwelcomed visitor, grabbed the remote and started flipping through TV channels faster than she could see what was on.  She sat next to Max drinking her soda and continuing surfing TV channels.

Max turned around towards Chloe noticing she was upset and said, “ _ Chlo?  What’s wrong? _ ”

Chloe loved Max’s attention to detail, she could always count on her ability to read Chloe’s moods and give just the right amount of love to not piss her off more.

“ _ Your friend is here.  Warren. _ ”  Chloe said downing a handful of chips she acquired from the vending machine.

Max read the situation well and understood a little jealousy was at hand, she wanted nothing more than to continue to amazing and powerful connection her and Chloe and built up the fast few days.

“ _ Oh, glad he made it out okay.  So, how about that jacuzzi tub? _ ” Max said giving Chloe a wink at the suggestion.

Chloe stood up seeing right through the ploy and said, “ _ I know what you’re trying to do!  Look, I know he likes you and I just don’t want to have some lovesick boy following you around like a lost puppy dog.  Can we just go? _ ”

Max was torn, she understood where Chloe was coming from but Warren had helped Max to fix the past and she also trusted him with her secret.  She pulled Chloe down to the bed, sat on top of her and looked deep into the slightly red eyes of Chloe. 

“ _ Chloe, I love you!  What we have is something greater than anything I’ve ever felt in my life and all I want is to be with you.  I want to keep being with you tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that! And for as many years as we have to be here, I want to spend them with you! _ _   
_ _ Warren saved us both and has always been a good friend so we owe it to him, regardless of whatever feelings he may or may not have.  Let’s say hi and then we’ll say goodbye. Okay? _ ”  Max said pinning down Chloe’s shoulders.

Streams of tears rolled down Chloe’s cheeks at the sincere words Max shared with her.  She knew beyond any doubt what Max said came from her heart and meant every word. Chloe sat up, kissed Max with fierce meaning and wiper her tears on the bed sheet. 

“ _ Whatever, but you owe me! _ ” Chloe said as she went to grab the clean clothes from the back.

Max unplugged her charged from the wall and read off the most recent updates she received from everyone in Arcadia Bay.  “ _ Joyce says hi, she loves you and come back soon!  Oh, and David said to tell you Marijuana usage is being legalized in Oregon and that he won’t hold it against you anymore that you smoke. _ ”

Chloe smiled to herself at the message from David, she knew David did care and he made Chloe’s Mom very happy.  The two took their time getting dressed and gathering things from around the room. They laughed and joked at past memories and gave each other a kiss as they passed each other in the room.  Having finally made the room somewhat respectable, Chloe and Max exited the room to thank Daniel’s family for the amazing room. As they made it to the ground floor, Max saw Warren at his beaten up car packing bags in the truck.  She waved Chloe on towards the office trying to prevent Chloe from castrating Warren just for saying hello. 

“ _ Hey Warren, glad you’re okay.  Did your family make it out with you?  _ “ Max asked seeing a lot more clothing than needed for one person.

Warren gave an awkward smile seeing Chloe mimicking a cut throat in the background and said,  “ _ Yeah, uh, we’re okay.  The power is out still and no classes till next semester so we’re going to stay with relatives for a few weeks.  So what’s going on with you and Chloe? _ ” 

“ _ Oh yeah, Chloe and I are together.  How’s Stella, did she come with your family? _ ” Max replied trying to keep the ton lighthearted not wanting to make Warren more uncomfortable than already was.

Warren looked down at his shoes, avoiding eye contact with Max replied, “ _ Stella didn’t make it. _ ”

A sharp and violent trickle of electricity ran a path down Max’s spine hitting the souls of her feet.  This was the first friend she had lost in the storm and Max felt completely responsible for her death. Max wondered if Warren blamed her for Stella’s death but as she opened her mouth Warren was joined by his family that greeted Max with hugs and comments saying they were happy she is okay.  The family waved goodbye at Max and left the hotel parking lot obviously set on making it to their destination in good time. Max stood there utterly destroyed by the news, unable to move. Noticing Warren had left, Chloe trotted back towards Max with a spring in her step.

“ _ Aww, he left so soon?  Was hoping to catch up and see how he was.  Such a shame. Ready to go? _ ” Chloe said throwing their bags in the truck.

Max stood motionless, staring at the ground before her thinking of Stella and how her death was all her fault.  She thought all of their friends made it through the storm alive minus a few cuts and bruises but this death hit her like a truck.  Max slowly looked up at Chloe and said, “ _ Stella’s dead and it’s all my fault! _ ”  Max entered the passenger seat, slowly closed her door and just sat motionless with the sudden pain deep in her heart she was unable and unwilling to shake off.

Chloe joined Max, took her hand and said the only thing she could think of, “ _ You didn’t kill Stella! _ ”  But the words fell on deaf ears, Chloe had doubt in her words and Max heard it.  Chloe knew the storm was a direct result of Max’s power but Max’s intentions through the entire process were good and to just help people as she did for Kate.

“ _ Max, I know what you’re feeling and thinking.  Stella died because you chose to use a power that created a storm.  But without you, I would be dead, we wouldn’t know what happened to Rachel and who knows what could’ve happened to you and Victoria with that asshole teacher!  All I know is you did your best to help everyone you could but not everyone can be saved. I can’t believe for a minute that you killed her and you shouldn’t believe it either.  The storm was made from the sins of men trying to take what they couldn’t have and you stopped it. She is gone, Rachel is gone but we can’t live in the past. I love you and I’m there for you! _ ”  Chloe said to Max knowing her words would not help as much as she’d like.  Chloe started the car with the next destination in mind.


	9. Sapho Longwing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Max overwhelmed by the death of Steph, Chloe tries her best to comfort Max and show her it wasn't her fault. Chloe decides to take Max the only place she knows that can help but is visited by someone didn't expect.

Chloe drove forward unsure of what exactly she could do to help Max or where she was heading.  The clouds covered the sky and welcomed a dreary rain making the mood even worse. She knew the pain of loss and fully understood what Max was feeling at that moment and all she could think to do was to joke and try to lighten her spirits, though she knew Max would not like it.  As she passed street after street, Chloe was reminded of the time she went to Portland with Rachel; they decided to take a trip there after an exceptionally tough day at Blackwell. Chloe used her phone to get directions, performed a wild U-turn and drove with intent. Thoughts of Rachel raced back into her mind, Chloe felt guilty at these thoughts as she knew Max was with her and there was no bringing Rachel back.  Chloe often thought of Rachel but the memories felt like they were fading, especially since her connection to Max had been stronger than ever.

The two entered a mostly empty parking lot surrounded by endless rows of beautifully kept flowers and rose bushes.  As Chloe opened her door, an overwhelming scent greater than any perfume met her nose like a train. Chloe looked at Max to make sure she had not seen the surprise location and was unfortunately reassured since Max kept staring down at her lap.

Chloe opened Max’s down, lightly grabbed her hand and said in a quiet serene voice, “ _Max, come with me.  I want to show you something._ ”  

The tone caught Max off guard, she had never heard Chloe speak quite that way and it brought about a sense of curiosity in her.  A few feet forward from the parking lot stood an immense steel wrought gate wrapped in a lush green vine from floor to ceiling. In the space that could easily fit three football fields were rows and rows of flowers though seemingly placed in no particular order or method.  A quiet hum whirred that added to the peace of the glass wrapped building only pushing Chloe to find the spot Rachel showed her. A stone path ended and opened to a mossy green path; Chloe was reassured it was okay to walk on as the sign to her left said shoes were okay. She looked deeply at Max only to find Max staring at the ground in a depressed state.  The path started to move upwards in a spiral manner ultimately leading to a large boulder overlooking the entire area below. Just behind the rock was a small building no bigger than a bathroom. Chloe led Max forward through the glass door and shut the door behind her.

“ _Max, look up,_ ” Chloe said simply still holding on to her hand.

Max, finding the strength to look beyond the ground, raised her head up and was met with what looked to be thousands of the most beautiful butterflies she had ever seen.  Every color of the rainbow flapped in a graceful manner all around her head. Max squeezed Chloe’s hand and tears flowed from her eyes like a waterfall. She fell to her knees on the ground utterly destroyed by the beauty she was simply not able to comprehend.  

“ _I.  I just have no words,_ ” Max said trying to wipe away her tears.

Chloe said nothing, she just reached into the bag and laid next to Max her polaroid camera knowing only Max could adequately capture this moment.  Max grabbed the camera and slowly raised to her feet to give Chloe a wet yet warm kiss on the lips. She took picture after picture, there was simply too much beauty and too little film though Max saved a few pictures just in case something spectacular appeared.  Chloe took Max’s hand and led her to a wooden bench at the back of the room and sat her down placing the camera beside her. She sidled close to Max wrapping her arm around Max’s shoulder and placing her hand on Max’s lap.

Chloe lowered her head and said, “ _Awhile after my Dad died, Rachel brought me here.  I felt absolutely lost in life without you and my Dad and I started to give up on everything and everyone.  Thoughts started to get to me, thoughts I hate I ever had. And...Rachel had had those thoughts as well sometimes.  She said this place is where those thoughts disappeared for her. Thousands of butterflies just flying around, living their very short lives and then dying.  I know it sounds bad but it was here that she showed me life is not about the end or the beginning but the middle as we flap our wings and we just be. I know you feel responsible for everything in Arcadia Bay but the only thing that matters is this moment right now._ ”

As Chloe said her final words, a stunning light blue butterfly with a band of white on the outside landed on Max and Chloe’s hand.  A tear fell from Chloe’s cheek on Max’s knee and Chloe said, “ _That’s a Sapho Longwing, it was Rachel’s favorite._ ”

Max slowly picked up her camera as to not disturb the beautiful creature and lined up her shot perfectly.  The butterfly slowly waved its wings as if preparing for the picture and sat perfectly still atop the two hands of Chloe and Max perfectly aligned together as one.  With a “click,” Max took the picture and seconds later the butterfly joined the others and was quickly gone.

They sat on the bench for an hour saying nothing but just looking around with an occasional butterfly landing on them.  Max and Chloe hugged, staying close to comfort each other at this difficult time. Through the pain, Max understood what Chloe told her and knew Rachel’s words were very powerful.  Max had never met Rachel but she felt an odd feeling that like Rachel was there with them in that small room. A warm sensation overcame their backs like a hand was rubbing them up and down trying to ease the pain.

Max was the first to stand up, though she could stay in that moment for the rest of her life.  She opened the door as Chloe followed making a careful watch to not harm any butterflies as they left.  Max stopped Chloe just outside, turned to look at her and raised the back of her hand to her cheek. She wiped off the tears, turned her hand around to cup Chloe’s cheek and kissed her on the lips with a teary smile following.

They walked around the gardens for a few more hours, taking in this moment of beauty and letting go of the painful news about Stella.  Chloe was very thankful for what Rachel had given her in this place and had the same sensation that Rachel was there with them looking out for them.  As they found the exit, the sun had broken through the rain opening up the beautiful blue sky above. Max, with one picture remaining in her camera, stood with Chloe in front of the truck and snapped a picture of the two as she kissed Chloe on the cheek.

They entered the vehicle, unsure of where to go but Max flipped through radio channels landing on a song she hadn’t heard before.  Chloe looked utterly shocked at the song and cranked it as loud as the radio could go,

“I'm the piano player, down at Eddies' bar...  
And Rachel she's the waitress who wants to be a star...   
She swears she's gonna make it, make it big someday...   
And she'll send me picture postcards from L.A….”

Chloe sang from beginning to end with Max trying her best to keep up.  Max didn’t catch the lyrics but Chloe knew the song as Rachel and she had sung just a month before she went missing.  Chloe knew at that moment Rachel was truly there with them in the truck as the beautiful blue butterfly appeared on Chloe’s shoulder disappearing out the window.


	10. This is Art?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe decides to take Max to an Art gallery where Max is confronted with an awkward situation. The afternoon ends back at Danie's family restaurant for an amazing lunch and great company.

As the pair traveled north through the city Max stared at Chloe intently trying to get her attention without asking.  Tired of waiting, Max said, “ _Hey Chloe, where are we going?  These past few days have been perfect and seemingly unplanned.  So just kinda curious if you have a plan?_ ”  Max didn’t have a tone of being scared but was more curious what else Chloe had in mind for the two.

Chloe, glancing to her right from time to time, smiled at Max and said, “ _Well, I have a plan of where I want to go but I’m just filling in the blanks from here to there, so yeah._ ”  She drove a bit further but pulled into the gas station to recheck the directions and gas up.  Max, needing a stretch, ran inside and used the bathroom. As Max exited the bathrooms she was met with rows of candy and snacks, she was reminded how hungry she was and grabbed handfuls of random sugary goodness for the two.  She also grabbed a few packs for Chloe’s favorite cigarettes. Max didn’t like that Chloe smoked but understood it had been a very stressful few days and Chloe needed them to take the edge off the drama of life. As Max placed the items on the counter she spotted a magazine with the headline “Arcadia Bay - Death, Destruction and the Prescotts.”  The cover featured a landscape of what Arcadia Bay looks like now and below it held a glowing picture of police raiding the Prescott home and a few of the family members in cuffs; Max grabbed a copy out of pure interest.

Max paid for the items and gas and joined Chloe in the truck, “ _Dude, want to see some art and shit?_ ” Chloe asked in a depressed manner showing her lack of interest in the destination.

“ _We don’t have to, I know it’s not really your thing.  But it would be cool._ ”  Max said trying to contain her excitement yet hoping Chloe would take her there.

Chloe put the truck in drive and let out a massive exhale as spun the back tires leaving the gas station.  Max reached over and kissed Chloe on the cheek putting the packs of cigarettes on Chloe’s lap. Max took this time to pamper Chloe, she hand fed her chips and candy hoping Chloe needed a sugary pick-me-up to get motivated for the art gallery.  Max fully expected a pretentious snooty art gallery with expensive cars and even a valet but as they pulled in the parking lot a small humble building sat almost unnoticed if Chloe’s GPS hadn’t told her they were there. Max had a puzzled look on her face at the sight but she knew to not judge things by outward appearances.  Chloe shuffled her feet behind Max showing her honest desire to not go in, she even gave a cute huff in annoyance at the trip.

Max and Chloe entered the building, as they shut the door and the light from outside stopped blinding them from seeing inside, the two stopped dead in their tracks and were in utter shock.  Before them on a large platform sat very realistic sculptures of a naked man and woman intertwined as they made love. Max’s eyes looked left and right to see if they had entered the wrong building but across the walls were picture after picture, all containing images of a sexual nature.  Chloe noticed a sign advising “Must Be 21 or Older to Enter” which she pointed out to Max. “ _If they ask, just say you’re 21!_ ”

Chloe looked a lot more interested than she had before entering the building.  She studied the pictures with an extreme interest, moving her head left and right trying to decipher the move being portrayed.  Max followed at a distance but was overcome with an awkward shyness that seemed to make her stand out even more.

“ _Oh hello, welcome to the Stahlman Gallery of Art.  Is this your first time?_ ”  Asked a young looking woman towards Max.  She looked no older than Max and was wore a yellow sundress that made her stand out like a sore thumb.  Max cleared her throat and quietly said, “ _It’s my first time.  I mean, it’s my first time here.  I’m Max._ ”  The girl smiled and introduced herself as Julia as she handed a pamphlet to Max.

“ _It’s a bit strange here, don’t you think?  I’m an art major Portland State and needed an internship so here I am._ ” said the young woman smiling brightly at Max.  She seemed very interested in Max, occasionally looking her up and down as they spoke.  Max, on the other hand, kept looking around the room for Chloe, hating to be separate in this room full of nude art.

“I like _photography.  I attend I mean I went to Blackwell,_ ”  said Max keeping her gaze forward not wanting to mistakingly catch a picture of the overweight man that seemed to be in quite a few of the pictures.  The girl beamed at Max and asked if she had any of her work with her; Max was hesitant but felt it was a good way to avoid looking at the other art in the room.  She handed her book of polaroids to the girl with a slight amount of fear rushing over here, she hoped they were well received. The girl stood silent, not smiling but just focused on page after page.  What felt like an eternity to Max passed and the intern made her way to the last page. She closed the book slowly and handed it back to Max still silent wand without a smile, this made Max extremely nervous and she instantly regretted showing her the album.

“ _I’ve never seen anything like that.  It’s beyond me how those moments, those beautiful moments could’ve possibly be captured on film but you did it.  We get to see a lot of art but the heart you have is so much greater than anything I’ve ever seen in my life. Do you think I could buy one of your pictures, they are so good!_ ”  The girl said to Max in a very serious tone and obviously greatly impacted by what she saw.  

“ _Oh, I umm.  These are very important to me and I don’t have any copies.  I am so sorry but thank you so much for the kind words, I thought you were going to hate them!_ ” Max said relieved her pictures were well received.

The young girl smiled at Max and wrote something on the back of a pamphlet before handing it to her.  With a visual inhale of Max, the young girl left towards the back room. Max turned the paper over and saw a note that read, “If you ever want to sell one, please call me.  Or if you want to go out, I’d love to hear from you!” At the bottom had a phone number with a smiley face next to Julia’s name; Max saw she had dotted the I in her name with a heart, this made Max oddly happy yet also mad when she thought of her feelings for Chloe.

A few minutes later Chloe skipped over happily landing next to Max.  “ _Dude, this place is fucking awesome!  If I knew art was like this I would’ve been more interested.  You want to get naked, I’ll put your picture on the wall!_ ”  Chloe then made motions with her hands as if she was taking pictures of Max.  This did not help to comfort Max which Chloe noticed and apologized for kidding.  A text message came through on Chloe’s phone which she promptly checked. In a fit of excitement, Chloe pumped her fist in the air and told Max she knew what they were doing that night, not sharing the finer details with Max.  They both exited the building and were instantly blinded with the bright sun shining. Max decided to tell Chloe about the intern and that she had given Max her number. Chloe jokingly made a comment about how everyone wants “Super Max” and said she was glad Max chose Chloe to be with.  Chloe reached out and held Max’s hand as they drove back the road they came.

Chloe made her way to the Mexican restaurant for a light lunch and to say hi to Daniel again.  As they entered Daniel waved at them from the back and started asking Chloe a question about a rock group but quickly stopped seeing Chloe motion to be quiet.  Max didn’t think anything of it, she was reading the article on the Prescott’s and how the FBI had seized their assets. Max, Chloe, and Daniel talked and ate for hours about the magazine, the art gallery and also broke the news to Daniel about Stella, which he had already heard.  The moment felt serene and almost normal, Max still thought about the storm and had a lot more questions than answers. Deciding to enjoy the moment, Max put down the magazine and grabbed a burrito smashing it directly center on Chloe’s face. Daniel and Max laughed hysterically, shortly later being joined by Chloe.  Chloe wiped a salsa mustache on Max’s face and let out a hearty “Arrr” with one eye closed. The afternoon felt amazing to the three and they ate till they were about to explode. Knowing their manners, Chloe and Max soon joined in the kitchen to help clean up the dishes and assist in preparing for dinner.


	11. PissHead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe surprises Max and Daniel with an epic night at a concert. Pisshead, led by Skip a former security guard for Blackwell, puts on an unforgettable show that ends in tragedy.

The sun started setting and shone an amazing orange hue all through the restaurant highlighting the glorious food atop the crowded tables.  The dinner rush had arrived and Max, Chloe, and Daniel exited the back door since the front had a line.

“ _Dude, I can’t believe your Mom let you hang with us tonight with that insane line of people waiting to get in,_ ” Chloe said to Daniel giving him a high five.

“ _I just can’t believe you invite me to see… umm, I mean to partake in the super secret awesome kickass thing you have planned that I can’t tell Max about_ ”  Daniel said remembering Max wasn’t supposed to know where they were headed.

Max peered at Chloe and sidled next to Daniel trying her best to get information about where they were headed.  Daniel, given prior threats from Chloe that involved not ever having children, stayed firm in his resolve to keep it a secret which frustrated Max even more.  The sunset quickly faded from view reminding Chloe she needed to replace the left headlight that had gone out a few days ago; Chloe had no doubt in her ability to sweet talk a police officer if she got pulled over so she didn’t worry about it.

The city roads turned to country gravel paths leading past farms causing Max to roll up her window due to the overwhelming fertilizer smell.  Chloe took this as a hint to freshen the air up as she lit a joint in her best attempt to hotbox Max and Daniel. Long fluffy clouds of white smoke poured from Chloe’s mouth towards the two making them cough violently.  After a few minutes, Daniel started giggling about nothing imparticular which caused Max to laugh uncontrollably. Chloe enjoyed the sight of the two weed virgins being corrupted and finally understanding the joy of marijuana; her duty was complete.

Chloe nearly missed her turn and swung sharply to the right down a dirt road where loud music slowly increased in volume as they got closer to a large wooden barn sitting in the middle of an open field.  What looked to be three hundred cars lined the field, Chloe took a side path around to the back and parked near two extremely large busses. Max, recovering from her fit of laughing, caught a sign on the side of the bus with the words “PissHead” written in what looked to be actual pee.  

“ _What the heck is Pisshead Chloe, what kind of show did you take us to?_ ” Max asked not understanding they were a band.

Chloe placed her palm on her forehead and said, “ _How are you so uncool and I like you so much? Come on let’s go, we have backstage passes._ ”

Chloe proceeded to lead Max and Daniel to a back door with what appeared to be a security guard standing watch.  “ _Dude, where’s Skip.  Tell him his VIP is here!_ ”

“ _Name,_ ” the burly security guard asked looking down at a clipboard.

“ _Chloe “Fucking” Price, Max “The Shit” Caulfield and umm, Daniel,_ ” Chloe responded with her Chloe-like attitude.

“ _No shit, you’re actually on here.  Didn’t see that coming! Here are your passes, don’t lose them._ ” He said throwing three lanyards towards Chloe which she handed out.

The guard opened the door and what Chloe had expected was nothing like reality.  Three long tables of food sat virtually untouched, all overflowing with fresh fruits, vegetables and disgusting green shakes next to a blender.  Beyond the tables sat two plush leather sofas with six men and a woman dressed in grunge but talking about anything but grunge topics.

“ _Did you catch the sunrise yoga this morning?  I had a six-mile run and couldn’t make it back in time._ ” The woman asked one of the men inquisitively.  

“ _What the actual fuck is this shit?_ ” Yelled Chloe in absolute disgust at the lack of rock in the rock band before her.

“ _Chloe, you made it!  It’s so good to see you, I’m glad you’re okay.  Dude, you brought Daniel, this rocks!_ ” one of the men said as he stood up approaching Chloe.

“ _Max, this is Skip formerly of Blackwell Security.  He made a very wise life decision and got the hell out of there and now he does yoga and eats salads and shit?_ ” Chloe said sarcastically to Max.

Skip laughed shaking Max’s hand and replied, “ _Chloe, you should try yoga, it’ll help you to chill!_ ”

Chloe was fuming and started to pull out a joint to show them how to “cool down” but was quickly stopped by Skip as he pointed at the no drugs sign.  The image Chloe had of this moment was quickly shattered but Max and Daniel had taken seats next to the other band members. Max was admiring the photoshop skills of the woman working on a laptop.  Daniel had taken pencil to paper to draw the scene as an older man that looked to be the manager stood watching over his shoulder.

Skip led Chloe to a small corner with two recliners in the corner of the room where they could talk.  Skip sipped on one of the green smoothies and offered some to Chloe which she just made a gagging noise.

“ _How are you Chloe, I wasn’t sure what happened after the storm.  We were in Japan at the time but word got to us pretty quickly._ ” Skip asked Chloe placing his drink aside.

“ _It was nuts, Max and I were in the middle of it but we managed to escape.  We haven’t been back yet, we’re just taking a break from all that._ ” Chloe said looking towards Max.  Her eyes staring adoringly at her and enjoying the fact that she was having a good time.

“ _So Max?  I definitely caught the vibe when you two entered the room, how long has this been going on?_ ”  Skip asked with a sincere smile.

“ _Umm, you know.  I mean we’ve known each other since we were little so I guess a long time._ ” Chloe said actually picking up a green smoothie and taking a sip.  To her surprise, the drink was very good and she continued to drink which made Skip smile again at her.  “ _Look, I don’t want to jinx this or mess it up so it is what it is and I like it._ ”

Skip moved his chair to face Chloe directly and said, “ _Chloe, I know about Rachel and your Dad and Blackwell and I know life has handed you a pretty bad turn more than you deserve.  So let me just say, you deserve this good! Have you noticed Max looking over here every few minutes making sure you’re okay? You two have something worth holding on to and don’t let anyone and especially don't let yourself tell you this isn't right and you don't deserve it!  Okay?_ ”

Chloe simply nodded at Skip looking a bit flush at his kind statement.

“ _We have to be on stage in five so you three head to the VIP room and enjoy the show, we’ll see you after.  And Chloe, I really am glad that you’re safe!_ ” Skip finished as he stood to join his bandmates.

Chloe, Max, and Daniel followed the signs directing them to the VIP area.  In the room stood about thirty people that Chloe related to, at least by outward appearances.  The music started playing and Chloe danced around with the others pulling Max and Daniel with her.  Defeaning bass chords struck the floorboards like a hammer, Max felt her organs vibrate in a sensational harmony that followed by the insane voice of Skip.  Chloe went to look out to the crowd and was surprised to find at least a few thousand people dancing and banging around.

Chloe went back to take her spot with Max and her foot met a loose floorboard causing her to crash face first to the ground.  Chloe, unsure of what happened, laughed as she found Max and tried telling her what happened. Max’s mouth dropped as streams of blood poured from Chloe’s forehead, Max screamed for help and Chloe kept trying to assure everyone she was okay but her words were unintelligible.  The VIP room stopped and three paramedics rushed to Chloe, pushing Max aside. This made Chloe angry but her words failed her as much as her arms did. The light grew dim for Chloe as she succumbed to the blood loss and lost consciousness. The last thing she remembered is Max pushing her way to Chloe and grabbing her hand refusing to let go.

“ _I’m here Chloe, I won't leave you!_ ” Max said refusing to allow tears to fall from her eyes.


	12. The Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is visited by an old friend allowing her to get out feelings about past events. The connections she shares with Max and Rachel are strengthened as she gains more perspective about her feelings towards them both.

Chloe sat looking out from the moving train, taking in the fast-moving scenery.  She couldn’t quite tell where she was but the view was spectacular and instantly gave Chloe a feeling of peace and freedom.  In the distance, Chloe saw a lone-standing cabin with smoke coming from the furnace and a man in the front chopping wood. She admired the man and his ability to live without social media, TV or any of the modern conveniences city living provides.  As Chloe leaned back against a large crate something long and bony hit her spine causing her to look around.

“ _ Beautiful isn’t it?  That day on the train was one of the best days I ever had, _ ” said a warm voice behind Chloe that shot a warm sensation through her skin.

Chloe turned around to find Rachel Amber standing behind her admiring the view passing by.  Rachel came around and sat next to Chloe, she wore her typical jeans and t-shirt but Chloe’s eyes immediately met the blue feather earring hanging down from Rachel’s ear nearly meeting her shoulder.  Rachel continued to start out the large door with a serene look on her face.

_ “So, miss me? _ ” Rachel said smiling.  Her tone had a hint of seriousness to her question yet it was said in a playful manner.

“ _ I think about you every day.  I miss you more than ever. _ ” Chloe said sounding serious.

Rachel reached out her hand to touch Chloe’s at the remark.

“ _ Why did you have to leave? _ ” Chloe said looking at the ground.   _ “I looked for you and I needed you, I thought you left without me.  I was really mad at you Rachel! _ ” Continued Chloe feeling relieved to get her true inner thoughts out.

The smile slowly left Rachel’s face and she appeared more serious yet gripping Chloe’s hand tighter.

“ _ The day that everything happened...to me.  Was the day I was going to ask you to leave with me.  I wanted to go back Cali with you and show you how great life could really be when you cut out the crap.  But, it didn’t happen that way, _ ” Rachel said.  A tear started to build in the corner of her eye.  “ _ Chloe, I know you’re feelings about...us.  I know what you wanted from me and honestly, it scared me.  I went to that party and well, he did things to me that are unforgivable. _ ”

Rachel’s grip on Chloe’s hand got tighter as Rachel’s words turned more aggressive.  

“ _ All I ended up being was a picture in a book and a poster plastered on walls.  People acted as they cared but really everyone moved on with their lives. I hate what happened to me but I hate even more that I’ve been forgotten. _ ” Rachel continued with a noticeable angry tone in her voice.

Chloe looked out the door and saw the once serene landscape now fully engulfed in fire.  Trees grew a bright orange as the heat was overwhelming with intensity. Birds flew in fear and animals sought shelter from the beast but few made it beyond the roaring flames.  Chloe turned her attention back to Rachel trying to put out of her mind the picture to the right.

“ _ Excitement's a mere counterfeit of bliss. These storms and these adventures? I prefer to know thou still cared for my plainest self, _ ” said Chloe now standing in front of Rachel still holding her hand.

Rachel smiled and loosened her grip saying, “ _ I have thee in my grasp; I will not bend. I will not see thee flying forth alone. The envy would be more than I could bear. _ ”

“ _ So come with me! Is that not in thy power? _ ” Chloe said stepping closer to Rachel

“ _ Spirit, take my hands, most faithful friend.  For but a little longer I beseech: continue in thy service to my schemes. And when they are complete, I swear to thee: we shall fly beyond this isle, the corners of the world our mere prologue. I'll seek to make thy happiness so great that even the name of liberty's forgot. What sayest thou to my most hopeful wish? _ ” Rachel said now kneeling before Chloe.

“ _ Yes, _ ” Chloe said pulling Rachel to her feet

Both laughed and sat down on the wooden crate.  Chloe glanced out the door noticing the fire had been extinguished and now smoldering with smoke filling the air.

“ _ I’ve never hated and loved a moment more than that day!  But sometimes you just have to say fuck it, _ ” Chloe said pointing in the direction of Rachel.

The two sat there for what felt like an eternity, still holding each other’s hand and staring out the train door moving at a fast pace.  

Chloe exhaled loudly and said, “ _ Rachel, I love you.  I will always love you.  The spark we shared was intense and life altering but that spark is also… _ ” but Rachel interrupted her.

“ _ Is also being felt with you and Max?  Chloe, all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.  I tried my best to do that but I always fell short to the memories you and Max shared most of your life.  I knew when I met you that your heart was not meant for me in that way. That’s why Frank and I connected so well, two people sitting on the outside watching Chloe Price be Chloe Price.; we never had a chance compared to Max. _ ” Rachel stopped to enjoy the view from the train before continuing.  “ _ I love more than anything that you and I got to make the memories we did.  Those moments and seeing you now shows me my life was not a waste. The fact that you have pushed to be so adventurous with Max is a definite sign that I rubbed off on you. _ ”  Rachel said smiling and rubbing her fingers on Chloe’s shoulder.

Chloe laughed and rubbed Rachel back on the shoulder.  “ _ You mean I rubbed off on you!  Who got the black eye at the Firewalk show? _ ” said Chloe arrogantly.

Both laughed deeply remembering that fateful night what felt so long ago.  Rachel scooted close to Chloe and rested her head on Chloe’s shoulder, as she did Rachel noticed a tattoo on the side of Chloe’s torso.  A long blue beautiful feather extended across Chloe’s ribcage, upon closer look the individual feathers were drawn so intricately they formed the letter “R” at each strand.

“ _ Chloe... _ ” Rachel said gently with tears flowing across her cheek.  Rachel pulled up the side of Chloe’s shirt and ran her finger down the feather.  She put the tip of her index finger to her lips, kissed it and placed the finger at the tip of the tattoo.

Chloe, wanting to lighten the mood said, “ _ It was either that or something about California and I’d have to kill myself if I put California on me! _ ”

Rachel laughed and lightly slapped Chloe on the arm.  “ _ You should get one for Max, _ ” Rachel said still admiring the tattoo.

“ _ That’s what the other side is for.  That way I can always have you two with me, _ ” Chloe replied smiling at Rachel.

What felt like hours passed as the two sat together admiring the view.  The sun had reached the peak of the mountain just before sunset hit. Golden beams of light shone throughout the train car and adding a warm glow to the two girl’s faces.  

“ _ Well, that’s my sign to go. _ ” Rachel said letting go of Chloe’s hand and getting to her feet.

Chloe wasn’t sad and didn’t try to keep Rachel in the moment, she had no doubt Rachel had been with her even if not visible.  The connection the two shared was more powerful than death and went well beyond the lines of Heaven and Earth. Chloe looked up and Rachel smiling and repeated a line from The Tempest, “ _ Your duty, done for now. So go forth hence with haste! I've work to do. _ ”

A bright beam of light momentarily struck Chloe in the eyes temporarily blinding her.  As the light passed behind trees Rachel was no longer in the train. Chloe stood to her feet and down below she caught the fleeting image of a beautiful doe prancing through the forest disappearing beyond the rows of trees.

Chloe sat back down, leaned back against the crate and closed her eyes as the sunset warmed her body.  A distant beeping noise could be heard, as she focused on it, the sounds of nature became more and more distant.  The noise echoed through her chest and, wanting to see what it was, Chloe opened her eyes to find she was not on a train but in a bed.  She looked forward and found lines running from her arms connected to numerous machines which she recognized from past visits to the hospital.  Gripping tightly to her left hand she found Max asleep with her head on Chloe’s leg. The soreness and absolute exhaustion hit Chloe at once, not wanting to wake Max she laid her head back down and fell asleep again.


	13. Hospital Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is recovering from her nasty fall from the show the night before and finally wakes to find Max hadn't left her side. Max gets a surprise text and an invitation that shows her a bit of Faith in past rivalries.

Max sat next to Chloe flipping through channels trying to find anything remotely entertaining to watch.   Channel after channel she switched but nothing seemed to calm her nerves or desire to see Chloe wakeup. Max had to do some serious lying to get the doctor to tell her anything since they weren’t related.  Max came up with a spectacular story about how Chloe was a foreign exchange student from Sweden and Max’s family had been hosting her. Details flew from Max’s mouth that left no question in the Doctor’s mind that she was telling the truth.  The doctor went so fast as to tell the nurses to speak slowly to Chloe as her English may be rough; Max found this hysterical but chose not to say her English was fine.

Lunchtime came around and the nurse brought food for Chloe with a separate plate for Max.  As Max lifted the top from her food she surprisingly found an actual steak surrounded by mashed potatoes and colorful fruit in a side bowl.  She was stunned at how good the hospital food looked and didn’t understand why people made jokes about hospital food. As Max took her knife and fork to cut into the juicy steak, a faint voice spoke behind her, “ _ Dude, what smells so good? _ ”  Chloe had finally woken from her slumber at the smell of food.

“ _ It took steak to wake you up?  They’ve had so much awesome food for the last three weeks you’ve been asleep.  I’ve had to eat all your food so they wouldn’t feel bad! _ ”  Said Max trying to contain herself at telling Chloe she was asleep for three weeks.

“ _ WHAT THE HELL, I’VE BEEN OUT FOR THREE WEEKS? _ ” screamed as she sat abruptly.  The loud voice caused three nurses to rush in thinking there was an emergency.

“ _ Are...you...okay...Miss...Price?  What...Can...I...Get...You? _ ” asked one of the nurses speaking very slowly making sure Chloe understood every word.

Chloe got very angry at this and started yelling profanities that even made the nurses blush. Max burst out laughing as she fell the floor in a fit of tears and cries.  In between laugh Max finally got out that Chloe had only been asleep overnight and that she told the doctor you were Swedish. Chloe held a straight face for a few seconds but a smile eventually broke out as she found the food in front of her.  The nurses, seeing Chloe was okay, left the room so she could eat in peace.

With her mouth full of steak and mashed potatoes, Chloe managed to say, “ _ Am I dead?  Hospitals don’t have food this good! _ ”

Max, trying her best to maintain a straight face, said, “ _ You’re alive.  But...well... I’m not sure how to tell you this.  But, the hit to your head gave you permanent brain damage. _ ”

Max had to turn around and try her best to stop from laughing as drool had found its way to the side of Chloe’s mouth.  She continued, “ _ The doctor said the swelling on your brain was so bad they had to remove part of your brain and replace it with fat from your butt.  Now you only have one butt cheek, I’m so sorry Chloe! _ ”

Chloe finally having digested her food knew Max was joking and said, “ _ They should’ve taken fat from your butt, it’s so big! _ ”

This caused Max to turn around and she found Chloe pointing and laughing at Max.  “ _ Gotcha, Miss Fat Butt! _ ” Chloe said as she placed a hand under the sheets making sure Max was joking.  After all, Chloe prized herself on her butt, it took a lot of sitting to get it that well defined.

Max and Chloe sat talking for an hour before anyone came in.  Max gave updates of what she really knew from the nurses about Chloe’s current state and she also told Chloe she hadn’t let Joyce know yet since she didn’t want David and Joyce running down here when Chloe was going to be okay.  Chloe thanked Max for that and said she would call her Mom later in the day to let her know what happened. She had made a pact with herself to try and mend the relationship with her Mom and David as best as she could.

Soon after lunch a burly looking male nurse whose head barely fit through the doorway came to take Chloe for her bath.  Chloe freaked out at the sight of a man wanting to give her bath and berated him with every demeaning phrase she had ever learned.  The nurse stood there and finally burst out laughing and explained he was there to take her to the female nurse waiting for her. Chloe glowed bright red with blush and quietly apologized for the outburst. He offered a hand to help her from the bed to the chair which she ignored and sat down with a huff.  

Max perused through her phone catching up on missed texts from people checking up on the two.  As she made her way to the bottom of the list Max found a text from Victoria that left her in shock.  At that moment Chloe reentered the room being pushed by the same nurse. As Chloe jumped in bed she high fived the male nurse saying, “ _ Cya Joe! _ ” having obviously made friends with the poor guy.  Chloe, finding the remote to the TV, found Max staring intently at her phone.

“ _ You looking at nudes of me again? Geeze perv! _ ”  Chloe said jokingly as she landed on a show dedicated to videos of painful groin injuries.

“ _ Chloe, Victoria invited us to her family home in Portland tomorrow night, _ ” Max said in a monotone voice void of any life.

“ _ We should totally go, just think how much expensive crap they have we could umm...borrow! _ ” replied Chloe crossing her legs at a particularly painful injury to a man with a baseball bat.  “ _ Seriously though, I  think it’s time we let things go with her; we all deserve a 2nd...or 12th chance. _ ”

Max looked stunned at Chloe’s words, did the bump to the head cause more issues than the doctor had thought.  For a split second, Max had a strong desire to call the nurse and have them do another CAT scan just to make sure part of her brain really wasn’t damaged in the fall.  Max begrudgingly sent a reply back to Victoria saying they would go which quickly received no less than thirty messages back about what they could wear and things they could do after dinner.  A small part of Max felt happy that she could see Victoria again and hopefully make a positive change in their relationship, though she would never admit it to Chloe.

Chloe had to stay one more night for observations which gave Max the opportunity to watch Blade Runner with Chloe.  They both laid together in the small bed but it felt like home to them both. Max glanced at Chloe halfway through the movie to find her dead asleep; she decided to not give her grief in the morning as Chloe had been through enough pain for one lifetime.


	14. Hot Topic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is released from the hospital and the two make a trip to the mall in hopes of looking presentable for the dinner with Victoria and her parents. Chloe and Max both get a new look and a well deserved day of pampering.

Chloe sat impatiently on the bed waiting for the doctor to release her from the hospital.  Due to the amount of blood on her clothes, Chloe had been given the option to either wear scrubs or look through the lost and found to see if anything fit.  She looked through the box only to find children’s clothing and a sunflower pattern dress five sizes too big. Max begged on bended knee for Chloe to wear the dress but opted for the scrubs in the end.  Two hours later the doctor entered the room and gave Chloe the okay to leave the hospital with the understanding she would take it easy the next few days. The doctor had written a prescription for a very strong painkiller which Chloe declined saying Max was the only drug she needed.  The doctor wrote her a second prescription for aspirin and let her go.

The sun had barely reached the top of the sky as noon hit and the two found Chloe’s truck where Max parked it taking up two spots unintentionally.  Max blushed and said, “ _ It takes two spots for that big ego! _ ”  She ran to the passenger side of the truck avoiding Chloe’s attempt to grab her and apply a vicious tickle attack surely to cause an undesired leaking of the bladder.  As Chloe searched for a radio station that didn’t contain a boy band, Max looked through her to see how much money they had left. Luckily the pair hadn’t needed to use much of the money due to good friends helping them out.  

“ _ Chloe, we need clothes for tonight, _ ” Max said looking at Chloe.

Chloe’s face dropped remembering they had agreed to dinner with Victoria and her family but she didn’t look angry or rebellious, Chloe had a sincere look of understanding.

“ _ You’re right, but I’m not wearing a dress tonight and I’m definitely not wearing pantyhose! _ ” Chloe said looking in her phone for directions to a nearby mall.

As the pair drove to the mall, Max picked on Chloe endlessly about how she would look so pretty in that sundress five times too big with a big hat and even included heels in the picture.  Chloe took a sharp turn she claimed was to avoid a pothole but really was to silence Max. She took the opportunity to put in the PissHead cassette she received from Skip he custom made for Chloe knowing her truck didn’t have any form of up to date technology capable of playing even a CD let an MP3.  Chloe cranked the volume up and blared the deep bass tones as they drove towards their destination.

Max hadn’t seen a mall this big since her time in Seattle.  What looked to be miles and miles of the building stood before them, the sight gave Chloe an uneasy feeling as she rarely had positive interactions at malls.  People typically judged Chloe on her outward grungy appearance and shot her hateful looks and commented as they passed about the people they let in malls these days.  Chloe had developed a practice over the years to deal with these types of people, she would run up and put her arms around the people making them feel just uncomfortable and instantly flee the mall.  Chloe usually mocked the running shoppers as they darted away in terror. Luckily today Chloe wore medical scrubs that made her appear a bit more professional, though her blue hair did make her stand out a bit.

Max and Chloe went through shop after shop finding anything and everything except clothing they would wear.  Chloe did find a children’s shop featuring “Hawt Dawg Man” and managed to grab a few t-shirts in her and Max’s sizes.  Max decided their journey for clothes would be best put on hold as they came across a beauty salon. The pair walked in asking about a variety of services and settled on getting the full package of pedicures, manicures, massages, and haircuts.  Chloe also decided her blue hair needed a fresh coat of paint so she opted to add color to her hair which Max added to the list a single streak of blue to be modest.

Both were led to a back room and placed in recliners next to each other.  At the base of their feet were pools of water warm to the touch and smelled of a variety of flowers and incense.  Chloe and Max sat back as the middle-aged women cleaned and prepped their feet for the impending grace about to befall them.  Max felt the stress of the past few days wash away as her feet and legs were massaged intently leaving red raw skin clean and smelling amazing.  Next, both laid down atop two massage tables where the same women massaged their backs less furiously than they had the feet. Though Chloe and Max opted to keep their clothes on, the massage felt just as needed and welcomed as if they had been in the nude.  

As Chloe and Max lay prone on the tables inhaling the environment and relaxing music, Chloe reached over and met Max’s, “ _ Dude, this does not suck.  Why haven’t we done this before? _ ” Chloe said occasionally groaning as the woman rolled her fist up Chloe’s back.  Max had no response, her entire being was relaxed but she managed to grab a hold of Chloe’s hand and rub her fingers thoughtfully.  The two women exited the room telling Max and Chloe to come out when they were ready to move on to the next stage. They both composed themselves and walked to the main room holding their shoes and socks in hand.  Both chose their desired nail polish and sat side by side in front of a tiny Asian woman; she gave an odd expression when she caught sight of Chloe’s tattoos but quickly recovered with a smile. Max chose a light matte grey finish for her nails and Chloe’s choice was a bright neon green she said would match her hair well.

They both finished getting their nails painted, hair washed and sat in front of two hair stylists that spoke in a hushed voice to each other trying to come up with a game plan as far as style.  Chloe looked up and requested a mohawk but both women laughed thinking she was joking. Eventually, both came up with the best-desired look and proceeded to start with the blue dye for them both.  Since Max had only wanted a single streak at the front she finished well before Chloe. The stylist felt it was best to keep her refined look Max had maintained for years. She cut a small bit from the ends and styled Max’s hair with a new part that Max quite liked.  The stylist had performed quite well as Max gave her a hug for the amazing design.

Twenty minutes later Chloe made it back to her chair unable to see Max’s new hair as her hair was down over her eyes.  The stylist was very focused on Chloe and took immense pride in the detail she was providing. Max started to get nervous as she heard electric clippers being used more than she was used to.  The stylist gave one final look and indicated that she was finished. Chloe looked up from the ground into the large wall length mirror to find the left side of her head had been shaven and the remaining hair parted to the right.  To top off the exquisite design, the stylist had dipped the ends of her hair in neon green to match her nails. Chloe was absolutely beside herself as she jumped up and down hugging and even giving a kiss on the cheek to the stylist.  As she caught Max’s eyes, she slowed her excitement and asked max in a serious voice what she thought.

Max walked around Chloe pondering her new look an excessive amount of time that ultimately made her screen “ _ Well? _ ” in frustration.

Max walked up close to Chloe and laid a deep meaningful kiss on Chloe’s lips that even made the stylists blush.  Chloe simple smiled in returned and followed Max holding her hand to pay for the service. As the pair left, the stylist suggested going to a clothing store at the far end of the mall as it would better match Chloe and Max’s age and style.  The two walked slowly holding hands, everyone that passed them gave a double take at the multiple of scenes. Two women holding hands, Chloe’s extreme hair and the overwhelming expression of joy on both of their faces. Finally, they made it to a small store that was right down their alley style wise.  Both picked out jeans with tears and rips in random yet well-planned places. Max found a silk white top that seemed to drape itself down her torso. It was simple, refined yet still elegant and managed to match the converse shoes she found in back. 

Chloe took a bit longer to find the right outfit.  She, like Max, found a white top though it had a lower plunging neckline.  She covered the area with a plaid tie that nearly reached her waist. The store owner gave them both a look of agreement their style choices were spot on.  The two paid and made their way to the truck. Max looked at her phone seeing they had less about an hour to get to Victoria’s house which left them plenty of time.  The pair looked absolutely stunning in their own way and talked about what Victoria would think of their unique design.

The sun started getting low in the sky as Chloe turned down a road containing large fancy houses indicating they were close.  Max turned down the volume on the radio and double checked her hair in the passenger mirror; an obvious nervousness had overcome them both.  Chloe found the address and turned into the round driveway of what looked to be a ten-room house. At the front sat two very fancy cars which Chloe parked behind.

“ _ You ready for this?  _ “ Chloe asked sound nervous and now checking her hair in the side mirror.  

Max nodded and walked to the front door, as they got near a bright security light came on indicating to the owner someone had arrived.  As they knocked, the door swung open and there stood Victoria with a smug snooty look that quickly changed to utter shock.

“ _ You look...you...look… AWESOME! _ ” Victoria said as she ran up and hugged them both.

This new Victoria shocked them both as they were led inside with the door being closed and locked behind them signaling there was no escape.


	15. Victoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe are welcomed in by the Chase family and are introduced to a new Victoria completely different from the person they knew at Blackwell. Victoria lets her true self be known and what starts as an awkward dinner ends in a late night deep chat.

Nearly as stunning as Max and Chloe’s appearance was the entrance to the immense and overwhelming Chase home and this was only a summer home they visited when needing a break from Seattle.  A massive split stairwell stood before them leading to the second floor. Immediately to the right were long tall bookcases overflowing with trophies, plaques and a wall of certificates all having Victoria’s name on them.  

Victoria led the pair down the hallway making it a point to show off the family art collection and, of course, her personal awards.  The hallway felt like it would never end as Victoria continued her well-versed presentation but as they entered a large dining area Victoria ended and stood to the side allowing Chloe and Max to enter.  The pair were caught off guard as Victoria’s parents gave both Max and Chloe extensive and deep hugs packed full of purpose and love. They introduced themselves and graciously said how many great things they had heard both them both.

Chloe started to speak but quickly changed her words, ” _ What the ...I mean what a pleasure it is to meet you both. I‘m just glad we could finally get the opportunity to meet the parents of such an exception peer and friend as we have in Victoria. _ ”

Max could barely contain her fit of laughter at Chloe’s glowing welcome.  She was able to mask her laugh in a cough and graciously shook hands with both parents thanking them for having them over for dinner.  Max noticed how quiet Victoria had been through the greeting and wondered if her parents knew how she was at Blackwell. Max being Max would never call her out on the current behavior but did wonder nonetheless.

The Chase family led Max and Chloe to a side room filled shelf after shelf of books covering a wide variety of topics.  None of the books appeared to have ever been read but were more for appearance. In the center of the room sat two Chesterfield sofas made of polished oak and bearing a floral pattern on the top.  Victoria and her parents sat on one side allowing Max and Chloe to have the other sofa to themselves. 

The middle-aged father of Victoria who looked to be a very kind person reached forward to offer the girls tea which both politely declined.  He then poured three cups for his wife, himself and Victoria. Max, feeling like her response may have been taken as rude, changed her mind and asked to have some tea for her and Chloe.  The response seemed to make the Father very happy as he handed both Chloe and Max a cup. 

Chloe noticed the edges of the plate and cup were lined in gold, she instantly wondered if it was real gold and what the street price would be for it.  Pondering the cost she took a sip and was overwhelmed with rose and mint flavors as she had never experienced. “ _ I  should brush my teeth with this, it’s so minty, _ ” Chloe said taking a 2nd large sip.  The Chase’s laughed at the remark and agreed with Chloe, they had apparently taken quite a liking to Chloe as they had asked her the bulk of the questions.

Max, still noticing Victoria hadn’t said a word and looked down at her cup, said, “ _ So Victoria, what have you been up to?  Winning more photography competitions I see? _ ”  The question made Victoria perk up with excitement.

“ _ Oh, I  entered three more competitions this month but they don’t judge for a few more weeks.  I actually...well...I hope you don’t mind Max. I submitted a photo I took of you. _ ” Victoria said placing her cup down and getting up.  She pulled a photo album from the far shelf, flipped a few pages and handed the book to Max.  Chloe looked over Max’s arm to find one of the most beautiful pictures she had ever seen. There Max stood, atop the dormitory at Blackwell holding Kate in a hug reusing to let her go.  That moment flashed in Max’s mind as it felt like years had passed since that day.

Max stood and asked to be excused as she handed the book back to Victoria.  Everyone in the room was not sure what had just happened but Max exited the room in search of a bathroom.  Max found the stairs on the second floor and a small bathroom stood to her right as she took the last step.  Max closed the door, turned on the light and stared deeply into the mirror before her. She had fully expected Chloe to knock on the door but it never came andMax appreciated the time alone.  Max wasn’t sure how she felt about the picture and questioned, even more, the intentions of Victoria. Had she just been using Kate and Max again to increase her perceived social status or did she have other motives?

Max splashed some water on her face and wiped her hands and face with a very plush cotton towel next to the door.  She wasn’t quite ready to rejoin the group so she wandered around the second floor eventually finding Victoria’s room.  Max was surprised by what she found as she entered. The room was modest and didn’t showcase Virginia’s talents or obvious desire to be the center of attention.  It was quite opposite, pictures of her and her parents on various trips and outings adorned the walls in simple frames lacking gold or anything of a fancy nature.  Across the bed was a handmade quilt that looked to be made by a relative. 

At the back of the room, Max found photo albums with a different year written on the spine of each backing.  Max grabbed the most recent book and sat down on Virginia’s bed to peruse her memories. Victoria had pictures from Blackwell, people that she never associated with like Kate, Alyssa and Warren.  The pictures were taken as an outsider looking in, almost appearing as if Victoria had an earnest desire to have that person in her life. As Max flipped page after page of students, teachers and even staff like Samuel she found another side to Victoria in her photography.  

“ _ I  don’t ever let anyone see those books. _ ” A quiet voice sounded behind Max as the light flickered the life.

Max hurriedly put the book back as she found it and turned to see Victoria standing behind her.  Sudden thoughts of ways Victoria could kill Max ran through her mind, wondering how mad she was.

“ _ I ‘m sorry Victoria, I  didn’t mean to be nosy, _ ” Max said apologetically.

Victoria grabbed a photo album from her closet and sat down next to Max still moving with a peace about her.  She flipped from page to page finally landing on a picture of a younger Victoria sitting next to what appeared Kate Marsh.

“ _ When I first came to Blackwell, the only person willing to talk to me was Kate.  She made it a point to say hi to me in the halls, to invite me to church, to sit with me at lunch and to make me feel loved.  A lot of people gave me a hard time because of my family’s wealth and wouldn’t take the chance to get to know me. Kate actually was the one who introduced me to Nathan because we both had been struggling at Blackwell.  We made the Vortex club in hope of changing people’s opinions of us and it worked. Unfortunately, Kate and I grew apart and what went from love quickly changed to hate because of who I chose to surround myself with. I  became a different person, a person I hated every day I woke up. No one knows this but I told Kate… _ ”  Victoria said, pausing to finish her sentence.

“ _ I  told Kate that I  like her more than a friend, you might even say I  loved her. Well, Kate was hurt because her Faith had told her it was wrong and she didn’t feel the same.  Things were never the same after that day and I started to resent her for rejecting me. Love quickly went to hate and, well, here we are.  When Kate was in the hospital after you saved her, I went to talk and tell her I was so sorry for everything I had put her through. I broke down Max, I  had never felt so bad in my life and to think she could have died that day knowing I hated her! We make it a point to talk every day now and I make sure she knows I ‘ll always love her!  A girl can hope right? _ ” Victoria continued as she closed the book.

Max noticed silent beautiful tears flowing down the cheeks of Victoria, Max handed her a tissue from a nearby box.

“ _ I  wasn’t sure why you had a picture of Kate and me on the roof that day, I  wondered why Victoria. But I know and I‘ll never tell anyone your secret, you have my word. _ ” Max said as she reached over and placed her hand on top of Victoria’s.  Both girls sat there saying nothing but just letting go of the past to make way for the future.

Finally, Victoria said, “ _ You can tell Chloe, I want her to know.  Who knows, maybe someday we’ll all be friends. _ ”

Max laughed and said, “ _ I hope so! _ ” 

Both stood to rejoin the family and, before leaving the room, Max turned to Victoria and wrapped her arms around her giving her a hug.  As Max turned back around she said, “ _ We better go save your parents for Chloe. _ ”

As Victoria and Max descended the stairs, they found Chloe and Victoria’s parents laughing violently as Chloe told them joke after joke.  

“ _ Victoria, are you adopted?  Your parents' rock! _ ” Chloe said laughing.

Everyone in the room including Victoria found Chloe’s statement funny, they all made their way to the dining table to feast on a beautifully prepared meal.  The day before Victoria had asked if there was a requested food and she said steak and potatoes for Chloe which she found most appetizing. Chloe engorged herself on everything the Chase family had provided for them though she did remember her place and tried her best to not use her hands.  

It was well past eleven before anyone realized the time had gotten so late.  Everyone shared stories, jokes and even politics which made for one of the greatest dinners Chloe had ever been a part of.  Chloe went so far as to ask Victoria for clothing advice which Victoria squealed in pure joy over. Victoria rattled off stores and fashion designers she could take Chloe to and make an entire day of giving Chloe a makeover, though she did say they would not touch Chloe’s hair as it was pure perfection.  The Chase’s refused to let the pair leave as it had been so late at night and offered them the guest room for as long as they wanted to stay. Max, thanked them for their hospitality and accepted the offer to stay before Chloe could decline. Max had a strong desire to show Chloe this new side of Victoria.  All three stayed up early into the morning talking about anything and everything including Max and Chloe’s relationship. For Max, the night was perfect as her enemy had become her friend.


	16. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an allnighter with Victoria, Chloe and Max say their goodbyes to their former enemy and make way towards home. Chloe tries her best to keep the surprise from Max but she ultimately finds out the secret destination.

Noon rolled around before any of the three girls woke up from their late night.  They all eventually passed out from exhaustion around five in the morning leaving Max the last awake as she took the quiet time to add to her journal.  The night had been exceptional as the three laughed, told stories and even shared tears of their past and hopes for the future. Chloe had tried furiously to persuade Victoria to dye her hair blue but she would not bend when it came to her hair; eventually, Chloe settled on painting Victoria’s nails blue as a compromise.  

As the three lay on the floor covered in blankets and pillows, Victoria’s parents came in with two large trays of food.  Chloe quickly stood up at the sight of food and assisted with the trays. Stacks of pancakes, a pile of scrambled eggs and even a plate of bacon still sizzling sat awaiting the hungry stomachs of the three.  Victoria’s parents exited the room with immense smiles, apparently over the moon over Victoria’s friends and the obvious good night they had. Chloe dug into the fresh bacon, consuming a full piece in one bite.  Victoria, still mindful of her appearance, decided to partake in the small plate of fruit her parents added to the side. 

The three ate and talked some more about nothing in particular for another hour.  Victoria had asked a question Max wondered as well, “ _ So where are you guys headed next? _ ”  She didn’t ask in a way that made Max and Chloe feel like they were being kicked out if anything her tone hinted she would love them to stay longer.

“ _ We are going home _ ,” Chloe said simply as she snacked on a pile of pancakes.  

Max beamed ear to ear at the news and got excited to see her friends again and maybe even help rebuild Arcadia Bay.  She stood up and started cleaning the mess they had made, obviously eager to get on the road. Chloe smiled at her as she sat back against the bed, this movement released a gentle odor from her armpits giving her a clear sign a shower was needed.

“ _ Hey Victoria, would you mind if I took a shower before we head out? _ ”Chloe asked Victoria as she looked through her bag of clothes trying to find something suitable to wear.

Victoria left the room and quickly returned with a stack of towels for the pair.  “ _ Definitely, there’s a bathroom at the end of the hall, _ ” Victoria said laying the towels on the bed and picking up the food trays which she promptly took to the kitchen.

Chloe grabbed a towel and said to Max, “ _ Wanna join me? _ ” and added a suggestive wink to her question.

Max laughed and said, “ _ You need to get laid! _ ” She had not thought before she spoke and instantly went bright red with embarrassment.

“ _ So is that a yes then? _ ” Chloe said seeing the red shine from Max’s face.  Chloe grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom knowing Max would probably not join her seeing as they were guests.

Max continued cleaning up the room until it looked just as unused as it had been prior to their arrival.  Victoria had rejoined Max after changing into a very fashionable Victoriesque outfit. A large bag was placed on the bed which Victoria told Max it was clothes for her and Chloe to have since it had been last season’s designs.  A week ago Max would have taken offense to this but she been introduced to a completely different Victoria who she quite liked. Max looked through the bag seeing a few items she thought would look great on Chloe. She pointed these out and Victoria chimed in with clothing combinations that would go well for Chloe.

Chloe walked back in the room as Max and Victoria discussed clothes, she wore a towel wrapped around her wet hair and had dressed in her best pair of jeans and Hawt Dawg Man t-shirt.  Noticing the pair had stopped talking as she entered the room Chloe asked, “ _ What? Do I  have something in my nose? _ ” Chloe rubbed her nose vigorously ensuring nothing had escaped unintentionally.  Max and Victoria had a good laugh at this started discussing the clothes Victoria had given them.  Chloe looked through the bag rarely complaining as she rifled through the clothes. Victoria took this as a positive sign that Chloe didn’t hate the clothes and had hope for her fashion future.

Everyone congregated at the front door to say goodbyes and thankyous for the welcoming experience.  Overall the visit had gone better than Kate, Max or Chloe could possibly have thought and the budding friendship between the three made overflowed her heart with positive feelings.  As the pair headed to the truck, Chloe turned around to Victoria and gave her a hug and thanked her for the awesome time they had. Victoria was speechless which even shocked her parents but Victoria composed herself, smiled at Chloe and waved as they left.

Chloe took the wheel letting Max catch up on her messages they had missed overnight and also using this time to head out of Portland.  The air had gotten colder and a depressing rain had started to fall but nothing could touch Chloe and Max’s positive moods. Chloe scanned through the radio trying to find anything remotely acceptable but settled on a soft rock station.

An hour had passed and Max finally decided to look up from her phone to find herself in an unknown place.  “ _ Did you take a different way back to Arcadia Bay, this doesn’t look familiar, _ ” Max said looking around for any form of recognizable sign.

Chloe just nodded and said nothing at all in response.  Ten minutes passed and Max chimed in again, “ _ Are you sure this is the right way? I ‘ll check the map on my phone _ .”

As Max looked down at her phone Chloe quickly said, “ _ Oh man did you see that?  Was so cool! _ ”  The diversion worked, Max looked up from her phone trying to find anything out of the ordinary.

“ _ What? I  don’t see anything.  What did I miss? _ ” Max asked turning around in her seat to look through the back window.

“ _ So, I  guess you want me to wear those clothes Victoria gave you?  I mean, I don’t hate them but I refuse to wear a dress, _ ” Chloe said quickly changing the topic of their location.

Max perked up saying, “ _ Will you give me a fashion show? Please? _ ”

Chloe’s straight face turned to a sly grin as she said, “ _ Okay, only if you participate! _ ”

Max agreed but wondered what she had meant by “participate.”  She started to regret her agreement but decided it was better to not protest as Chloe may make it a lot worse.  

The rain had stopped though clouds still covered the sky leaving a wet mess as Chloe and Max continued their journey.  The channel Chloe had chosen early started fading in and out of reception so tried to find another genre of music to listen to.  As she went channel to channel, a commercial for a business in Seattle played once again perking Max’s interest in their location.  Max chose to take the covert route and looked up their location on her phone.

“ _ Chloe?  Why are we almost in Seattle? _ ” Max asked in a louder voice than normal.

“ _ I  told you we’re going home, I  just didn’t say it was your home, _ ” Chloe said holding back a massive smile trying to break free.  Chloe knew how much Max wanted to see her parents and vice versa.  A long conversation between Chloe and Max’s parents had been going on behind Max’s back to plan a trip to Seattle.  Chloe had even included her parents in the conversation so they would know where Chloe and Max were headed. Joyce took the small step of trust well and said she hoped they had fun for as long as they stayed.

Max furiously typed on her phone, obviously sending a message to her parents since Max had read aloud as she typed.

“ _ Why didn’t you tell me Chloe was taking me here?  You all are SO dead! Love you, see you soon. _ ” Max finished typing.  “ _ I  don’t know how but expect severe punishment for this Chloe, _ ” Max said silently with her arms folded and a beaming smile spread across her face.

Chloe laughed but was also actually very nervous at the statement.  She had never experienced vengeful Max first hand and had no idea what she was capable of.  A large sign stood ahead welcoming Max and Chloe to Seattle. Max told Chloe to pull over so they could get a picture with the sign.  As Max had run out of Polaroid film for her camera, she was forced to take a selfie with her phone. As Max and Chloe stood close in front of the sign, Max leaned over and kissed Chloe on the cheek which made Chloe blush.  

“ _ Victoria will love that, _ ” Max said checking out the picture as they entered the truck and made their way towards Max’s family home.


	17. Jane Doe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip finally comes to a well-deserved halt as Chloe and Max arrive at the Caulfield residence. Chloe is made an interesting offer while the pair struggle with how to make their relationship known.

Chloe tried her best to follow Max’s directions but she rambled on and on about local sites they could see, restaurants they could try and even mention going to see Victoria’s family art gallery the “Chase Space.”  Chloe’s goal was to do as little as possible and avoid anything that remotely looked like work. She wanted to see the Jimi Hendrix museum, supposedly they actually encouraged people to smoke weed as it enhanced the experience but that was a rumor Justin had told her.  Chloe had put been put through her paces the past few days and just wanted to relax and enjoy the Caulfield family she hadn’t seen for years.

The traffic got thick as they hit the city center, Chloe joked and suggested they get a room for the night and get to Max’s parents tomorrow.  Max was not amused, she gave a very realistic Motherly tone and told Chloe to pull the car over so she could drive. After an hour in traffic they arrived at the exit Max reminded Chloe every mile to turn off at.  It was after six in the evening and as every mile advanced, Max became more and more ecstatic for the reunion with her parents. Five blocks away, three blocks and finally they arrived at the Caulfield home. Chloe turned into the driveway but Max leaped from the moving truck and ran in the house before Chloe had placed the truck in park.  Fits of happy screams were heard from just beyond the front door which made the exhausted Chloe very happy. Chloe grabbed hers and Max’s bags and entered the front door to the sight of Max and her parents in a threeway hug with tears flowing from all eyes. She shut the door behind her, dropped the bags to the side and said, “ _ Sup Ryan, Vanessa.  When’s dinner? _ ”

Chloe had always called Max’s parents by their first names as they got a kick out of Chloe and her unique style.  Max grabbed Chloe’s hand and tugged her into the now four-way hug which Chloe protested but lost the battle. Chloe had not yet visited the Caulfield home since they left Arcadia Bay so she was led on a tour starting with a moderately sized kitchen that had an already prepared meal waiting in the oven.  The tour continued room to room ending with Max’s room that Chloe tried her best to not snicker at. The wall was coated in everything a younger Max would’ve like, boy bands and all. The back wall, however, struck Chloe dead silent with an entire wall covered in a mural of Max and Chloe as pirates.

“ _ Like it?  Our friend was gracious enough to paint it while Max was at school.  It was meant to be a surprise for Maxine but it’s really for you both, _ ” said Vanessa placing an arm across her husband’s shoulder.

Max and Chloe took a few steps forward to admire the beauty of their childhood that seemed larger than life and a lifetime ago.  Life had been so easy when they were young, Chloe’s Dad was alive, they both lived in the same city and there were no tornados to ruin everything.  The most they had to worry about as children was the time their favorite shows came on television. 

“ _ Mom, it’s amazing, _ ” Max said.

“ _ It’s perfect, _ ” Chloe said in a soft voice as she ran her hand over the younger Max’s face.

“ _ Well, how about some dinner?  I’m sure you two are hungry after the long drive, _ ” Vanessa said leading everyone to the kitchen.

The four ate and talked for well over two hours as Chloe and Max told story after story of their journey.  Max chose to leave out certain details related to the storm but simply said they were grateful to have escaped safely together.  At that statement, Chloe had placed her hand on Max’s which did catch the parents off guard. Neither Max or Chloe had informed either of their parents about the relationship that had unfolded.  It wasn’t out of fear but simply something they figured would come out at the right time, which appeared to be now.

“ _ So what do you guys have planned for the rest of your break?  Going to check out some museums and do a little shopping? _ ” Max’s Mom had asked.

“ _ That sounds about right, I just want to sleep for about a week and maybe even catch a movie if it doesn’t interrupt the sleeping at all, _ ” Chloe said stretching back with a full stomach sticking out.

Both Vanessa and Ryan laughed not fully grasping Chloe’s seriousness about sleeping for an entire week.  Max stood up to help her Mom with dishes leaving just Chloe and Ryan at the table. 

“ _ So Chloe, I hear you have quite a knack for mechanics.  What would you say to a few hours at a local garage working on some cars that you may just like? _ ” Ryan asked with a sly voice.

“ _ Umm, I guess that would be cool.  Is this one of this up before sunrise kinda things cuz that may not work out too well for me? _ ” Chloe asked intriguingly.

“ _ Don’t worry, it’s not for a few days and you won't have to be there till noon so plenty of time to sleep in, _ ” Ryan finished as he stood up to join his wife in the kitchen.

Max sat down next to Chloe asking what her Dad had asked.  Chloe filled in Max on the upcoming mechanical adventure which Max loved due to Chloe’s obvious ability and love for cars she had shown the past few days.  Chloe had taken a broken down truck from a junkyard and made it purr like a finely tuned beast that had yet broken down on their trip. Max figured while Chloe was in the garage she could make it to Victoria’s family art museum as she knew Chloe would not want to go.

“ _ Okay, so when and how do we tell your parents about us;  picked up an odd vibe and dinner and I don’t want to make this awkward for them.  I mean, should we even tell them? _ ” Chloe asked in a frustrated tone.

Max sat for a minute pondering the question and trying to conclude on the right answer.  She knew her parents were accepting of all lifestyles but it’s never been their daughter as the subject of interest.  

“ _ Let’s wait a day or two and see how it goes then we’ll tell them.  Once I tell my parents you know it’ll get back to Joyce and David pretty quickly, _ ” Max had said assuredly.

Chloe hadn’t even thought about Joyce let alone David's thoughts on their relationship.  Chloe had no doubt that Joyce would love her regardless of who Chloe loved but David was military and that type of thing was frowned on.  She sincerely wanted to make a good attempt at strengthening her frail relationship with David and she hoped this news would not hurt it.

Both agreed to wait a few days to tell Max’s parents the news.  They joined Ryan and Vanessa in the living room and enjoyed a large bowl of warm brownies covered in ice cream coated in a thick layer of chocolate syrup.  Max chose to sit between her parents on the couch leaving the plush leather recliner for Chloe which she didn’t mind as it also featured a heated seat and massing back.  

Max’s parents headed to bed since both had to work the next day and wished both girls a good night and sweet dreams.  At their exit, Max let out a massive yawn signaling an end to her day as well. Chloe and Max made their way to Max’s room at the end of the hall.  As they turned the light on, a comforter and a few pillows had been placed on the floor for Vaness obviously for Chloe to sleep on. Max grinned and closed the door behind them making sure to lock the door just in case one of her parents decided to walk in.  Chloe opened her bag and took out a change of clothes to sleep in as Max searched through her closet to see if anything would still fit. Max found a white and pink Jane Doe t-shirt and matching shorts which she promptly changed into. 

Chloe laid on the floor pulling up two pillows to rest her head and behind her kneeled Max turning Chloe onto her front side and then straddling her.  Max pushed up Chloe’s t-shirt and proceeded to give Chloe’s back a deep massage with a warm oil that smelled of lavender. Long deep pushes with Max’ palms were felt in Chloe’s core easing the stress and pain of the long day.  Max made her way to Chloe’s legs and eventually arms finally landing on Chloe’s neck and shoulders. Chloe’s hair was in the way of Max’s path so she pushed it to the side to see Chloe had fallen asleep with the most peaceful and serene of expression she had ever seen.  Max wondered if Chloe was dreaming at the point and tried her best to get up as to not disturb Chloe’s sleep. The light flickered off and Max grabbed the remaining pillows from her bed. Max laid beside Chloe underneath the warm blanket and kissed Chloe on the lips goodnight as she fell asleep from the overwhelmingly positive day.


	18. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe enjoy the sights of Seattle together after a late night massage performed by Max. The trip ends in the perfect lunch date at a spot Max used to come to before going to Blackwell and now holds even more meaning for her.

Max woke first as the sun peeked through her window placing a line of white across her now warm face.  She laid there resting her head on Chloe’s chest listening to the slow rise and fall of her breath. The gentle beat lulling her into a euphoric state of absolute love with the person who she laid atop.  Max laid there trying to gather the motivation to get up but knowing she was home with her family and Chloe gave Max an overwhelming sense of relaxation. She gathered the needed energy to stand up and headed to the bathroom to take a well-deserved shower.

It was weird waking up in her own room again, it almost felt foreign and like she was in a dream.  Max decided to forego a shower and take a nice warm bath to ease into the day ahead of her. She turned on the water and added some sweet-smelling liquid to add bubbles before disrobing and slowly placing her foot in the tub to test the waters.  It had been just the right amount of heat and the bubbles had now met the top of the tub, a sign for Max to turn off the running water. Max slid into the warm bubbly water leaving her arms the last to enter the sudsy filled tub. She smiled as she found her rubber ducky sitting on the shelf which she promptly placed atop the now turbulent waters.  In her best pirate voice, Max made an “Arrrr” noise as she closed one eye and smiled at the memories of her and Chloe as young pirates.

She grabbed the soap and began to scrub away the dirt and grime from the past few days, not realizing she had been so dirty.  Max thought it must've been a miracle that Victoria hadn’t pointed out how dirty Max was, but then again Victoria had turned over a new leaf.  As Max reached below the water to clean her legs the door slowly creaked open.

“ _ Why is it when you want a door to be quiet it’s always loud, _ ” Chloe said slowly closing the door behind her.  “ _ Need some help getting those hard to reach areas? _ ” She continued with a sly grin.

Max sat forward indicating her back needed a good wash, Chloe grabbed a small stool and sat down behind Max.  Chloe took the soap and a nearby loofah and proceeded to clean Max’s back making sure to go from top to bottom.  Max closed her eyes and how good it felt to have Chloe’s hands on her skin. Tingles of electricity flowed up and down her spine sending a warm feeling throughout her body.  She sat back and looked at Chloe as she closed her eyes and kissed Chloe’s lips which had been quickly reciprocated. Max raised her wet arm and held it on the back of Chloe’s head pulling her closer.  Chloe adjusted her position to the side of the tub and put her arm beneath the warm bubby warm slowly caressing Max’s thigh.

As Chloe moved her hand forward, the scratchy morning voice of Vanessa yelled, “ _ Max, Chloe, time for breakfast! _ ” 

Chloe and Max sighed in unison signaling the end of the bath.  Chloe removed her arms from the water and dried herself with a plush white towel on the far table.  “ _ We better leave separately, I doubt you want to have “The Talk” this morning, _ ” Chloe said before gurgling some mouthwash and spitting it in the sink.  

Chloe left the bathroom closing the door behind her just in time, Ryan was about to enter as Chloe said, “ _ May want to wait a minute, Max is taking a bath.  I just finished brushing my teeth, which I never understood why you brush your teeth before breakfast… _ ”  Their voices faded as Chloe continued talking about morning rituals to a tired Ryan.

Max sat down at the table just in time for her Mom to place a large stack of pancakes and a plate of eggs down in front of everyone.  “ _ It’s nowhere near as good as Joyce’s but dig in, _ ” Vanessa said rubbing Chloe on the back only a Mother knew to do.  The food was spectacular which Chloe tried expressing but her mouth had been overly full.  All she managed to get out that had been understandable was “Thanks” and Good.” 

“ _ So what’re you guys up to today?  We’ll both be at work so you’ll have to get lunch on your own. _ ”  Vanessa said taking a sip of orange juice.

Max gulped down her milk and said, “ _ Oh, I’m taking Chloe to see some sights, if that’s okay with you guys? _ ” 

“ _ That sounds like a great idea, Seattle is so rich with culture.  You should take the Streetcars to get around, driving downtown is not fun! _ ” Vanessa continued.

Ryan and Vaness put their dishes in the dishwasher and both headed upstairs to get ready for work.  Max stood and grabbed her and Chloe’s plates to add to the dishwasher before adding detergent and hitting the start button.  Both girls sat at the table looking through Ryan’s laptop at local places they could check out; Chloe made sure to point out the weed stores downtown.  Max made an organized list of places to visit in both distance order and order of how enthused Chloe sounded about the stop; she crossed off the art museums with the snoring noise Chloe made about them.

Ryan and Vanessa came down ten minutes later, kissed Max goodbye and waved as they closed the front door.  Chloe had a grin as she said, “ _ So, back to that bath… _ ” But Max ignored the comment saying they should get going in order to stay on schedule with her list.  Chloe and Max stood in unison providing the perfect moment for Chloe to give Max a big slap on the butt which Max ignored completely.

Max had grabbed her parents spare transportation passes from the counter and left, making sure to lock the door behind them.  They walked down the road to the corner and if Max had timed it right the streetcar would pull up in two minutes which it did promptly making Max smile.  As the pair came to the first stop on their day, Max and Chloe exited the vehicle as it came to a halt. The first destination had been Chloe’s favorite choice of the Jimi Hendrix museum.  

Max had scheduled ample time to see everything as she knew Chloe would be highly interested in the place.  Chloe had tried to purchase marijuana from the adjoining store but was told she had to be over twenty one to purchase it.  She went as far as to say her cataracts were acting up and couldn’t read the sign a foot from her which the salesman laughed at and shook his head no at Chloe.  

The pair spent the next four hours visiting every place on Max’s list and had magically kept on schedule which made Max even happier.  Chloe looked around and said, “ _ I’m so hungry, where’s good? _ ” 

Max tapped on her bag and said, “ _ Today you will be dining at Chef Maxine’s Outdoor umm...place to eat food! _ ” She struggled to find a name for her restaurant but Chloe didn’t care since it involved eating food which she adored.

The ride from downtown to Max’s destination took another forty-five minutes and involved hiking up a very steep path through a forested park and involved Chloe stating she had died and to tell her Mom she loved her which Max ignored.  As Max and Chloe reached the top of the hill they were presented with a breathtaking view looking over the city below. Max opened her bag and laid a blanket on the ground for the pair to sit on facing the city.

“ _ I came up here a lot, it reminded me of….you.  Well, it helped me to think of you, really. This city moves so fast and I didn’t really have many friends here.  I came up here to get away from everything and remember how many awesome times we had and how much you slowed me down in life.  You helped me to appreciate every day when we were kids and coming up here helped me to see that again. _ ” Max said looking at Chloe.

Chloe sat silently, Max was unsure if she was waiting for the food to be placed down or what when Chloe leaned over and gave her a simple kiss on the lips and an exiting smile.  She moved closer to Max leaving no room between them and held Max’s hand as they both looked at the view and admired the silence from the height. The only noise that could be heard were nearby birds singing their song and playing as a younger Chloe and Max once did.  Max had prepared a feast for Chloe as she placed down before her a large bag of chips, a variety of beef jerky, a few packages of Twinkies and an assortment of candy which Chloe was shocked at.

“ _ Maxine Caulfield, you know me so well!  Will you marry me? _ ” Chloe said jokingly.

Max had a serious look on her face and said, “ _ I will marry you Chloe Price! _ ”  She searched through her bag and a small red box that she handed to Chloe.

Chloe opened the box taken aback by the response and found a small black ring that looked to be no more than twenty dollars in value.  On the top sat a small grey skull with the letters “CP+MC” etched in the cheeks. “ _ Are you serious? _ ” Chloe asked looking down at the ring.

Max sat up and knelt on one knee as she grabbed Chloe’s hand only to say,  “ _ Chloe Price, will you marry me?  For real? _ ”

A tear flowed down Chloe’s cheek now looking up at Max’s face; between the food, the ring and being with Max she was in heaven.  Chloe wiped her nose and said, “ _ Fuck yeah I’ll marry you, Max! _ ”    
Chloe sat up and embraced Max in a hug with tears now falling from both Max and Chloe.  Chloe took out her phone from her pocket and captured this moment with a selfie which she promptly sent to a select few people with the caption, “Max is officially off the market for good!”  The message received a slew of responses that violently vibrated Chloe’s phone; she abruptly turned off her phone, sat down next to Max and proceeded to eat the fantastic meal occasionally feeding her wife-to-be.  

“ _ Dude, we should get matching tats!  Can I get my name on your butt? _ ” Chloe said in a serious tone that scared Max a bit.  

“ _ I think we should, minus your name on my butt, _ ” Max said actually sounding serious about the tattoos.

“ _ Guess we need to tell your parents, ready for an awkward dinner? _ ” Chloe asked.

Max smiled and said,  _ “How about we wait till tomorrow night, I don’t want anything to interrupt this perfect day. _ ”

Max leaned against Chloe as they both looked over the city below and enjoyed the feast together.


	19. Paint Me Nude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To end an awesome day, Max had an idea for both her and Chloe to take a painting class with the designs they both create being permanent additions on each other's skin in the form of tattoos. Max struggles at first to find her creative juice but is helped by an unlikely source.

The day had not yet ended for Max and Chloe as one more stop was listed on Max’s well-planned itinerary for the pair.  Max stood up taking her now Fiance by the hand and dusted the crumbs from Chloe’s t-shirt. Chloe reached to the ground and packed up the blanket and what remained of the snacks placing them in the bag.

“ _So what’s next Super-Max?_ ” Chloe asked resting her arm on the shorter Max’s shoulder.

“ _I have something I think we’ll both like, we’re gonna paint,_ ” Max said zipping her bag closed and wrapping her arm around Chloe’s waist.

Chloe didn’t look bored or disgusted by the idea but had actually looked quite interested.  She spouted off idea after idea of what she wanted to draw, most involving some form of skulls or bloody scene.  

Max, jokingly said, “ _Well, I was going to let you paint me nude but skulls it is then._ ”

“ _No no I was just joking, I totally want to paint you in the nude.  I’ll even make it tasteful like what dudes look at when their wives are around in the magazines!_ ” Chloe said trying to get Max to agree.

“ _Well, I was actually thinking we could paint tattoos for each other.  Mine may be a bit rough, I take the pictures after all. Daniel said he’d help clean mine up…_ ” Max said but was stopped by Chloe mid-sentence.

“ _This is an awesome idea, I can’t wait!  But what you paint is exactly what I want to be tattooed on me.  Salvador Dali once said, “Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it._ ” Chloe said looking smart for Max.

“ _Salvador Dali?  Read that on a bumper sticker?_ ” Max said laughing at the line but still impressed with Chloe’s desire to have tattooed whatever Max paints.

Chloe tried her best to pull off a shocked face that Max would dare accuse her of not knowing that quote from any place other than a book.  After all, Chloe did once study before turning to a wilder side.

Max waved down a taxi cab and, being the ever chivalrous partner, held the door open for an exhausted and out of breath Chloe.  “ _Really? It was all downhill coming back,_ ” She said getting in next to Chloe and telling the driver where to go.  Max took this time to text her parents and let them know they wouldn’t be there for dinner, it had been strange being home again and having to adhere to house rules.  

The trip only took ten minutes as the driver stopped in front of a small building with the sign “Art & Wine” over the door.  Chloe pointed out the name to Max which she abruptly shot down pointing out there were both under 21. Max again opened the door for Chloe and had been welcomed by a group of people hanging out waiting for the event to begin.  Chloe surprisingly melted into the atmosphere of the room as she found two women bikers tieing aprons onto each other. She complicated both ladies on their full tattoo sleeves lined in beautiful flowers of a differing variety.

Max walked around the room looking at the various pictures hanging on the wall, most being of vases with an assortment of flowers peeking over the rim.  Her eye was caught by one picture in particular of a beautiful sunset breaking through storm clouds. Rain battered the forefront of the scene but the sun refused to bow to the storm's anger and shined a beam to a young child playing in the puddles of water along the shore.  Max quite liked the picture and related well to it unfortunately on the bottom, it had a sign that simply said “Author Unknown.”

The person leading the class was a middle-aged woman that looked to have performed a lot of yoga and drank even more tea.  Max noticed she wasn’t wearing any shoes and her hands were coated in layers of random paint colors. Max and Chloe found seats next to each other at the back of the room, Max turned her easel slightly away from Chloe so she couldn’t peek on the forthcoming masterpiece.  Chloe, seeing the act, did the same and splash a few drops of water at Max’s leg.

“ _I have set up a variety of scenes in the middle for you to paint or feel free to paint whatever your heart desires.  This is your time, I am here if anyone needs guidance. Namaste,_ ” The woman said folding her hands together and giving a deep bow in front of the class.

Max had not really painted since she was young and she and Chloe made backdrops for their pirate adventures.  Max’s love had always been photography, capturing the perfect moment with the push of a button. Chloe, however, had a knack for drawing and practiced quite often in the form of graffiti on walls and various scenes that should not normally have paint.  She sat looking at the canvas, trying to focus on the one thing she wanted to place on Max’s body for eternity. Random pictures of death and destruction popped in her head, things she thought were cool but knew Max would hate. As Chloe closed her eyes trying to see the perfect image, it suddenly came to her and she picked up a pencil to draw her outline.

Max had known what she wanted to give Chloe for awhile but as drawing was not her strong suit she raised her hand requesting the help of the teacher.  The woman came to Max and asked how she could help, Max replied saying she wasn’t sure how to start and the teacher simply said, “ _It starts with a line, a simple line that leads to other shapes and before you know it you have created a masterpiece._ ”

Max said a few choice words beneath her breath obviously frustrated and took a pencil in hand drawing the image in her head.  She was not happy whatsoever with the picture and erased the lines she had made. One of the bikers saw Max struggling and came over to offer Max help.

“ _Having trouble getting going?  What I always do is look at something that gives me passion, something so strong that I overflow with love and can’t help but to spread that love on the canvas,_ ” the woman said turning to look behind her at the other female biker there with her.  “ _She’s my muse, what’s yours?_ ” she asked before returning to her seat and kissing the woman on the cheek.

Max looked to her left at Chloe painting away furiously, she saw the beautiful face she loved and cared for so much.  The person that had been with her the hardest days of her life, the person she never wanted to be without. Max closed her eyes and saw clear as day the image she wanted to paint.  She saw every shade of color and every beautiful and perfect line before her. Max opened her eyes and picked up a paintbrush foregoing the pencil to make sure her lines were correct.  She dipped her brush in the correct shade she desired and, with a stroke, laid down the first curves of Chloe’s future tattoo. The paint spewed forth like a sickness Max just had to get out, it flowed from her hands to the canvas and she became one with her creation.  She changed colors seeing a need to darken or lighten an area as needed but Max had finished, completely unaware that what was before her had come from her own hands. If she hadn’t been there the whole time she would be certain someone switched the picture to a better artists rendition.  Max smiled at the beauty and looked to Chloe knowing her painting was perfect.

Chloe caught sight of Max looking at her adoringly returned a loving smile in return.  “ _Almost done,_ ” she said returning her gaze back to the canvas.  The art teacher came back around to find Max’s completed masterpiece and was about to suggest to the class to check out her painting but Max quickly said in a hushed voice, “ _Please don’t, this is for Chloe alone,_ ” pointing at Chloe finishing up her design.  The teacher nodded with a smile and continued looking at other canvases.

Max and Chloe both decided to keep their designs a surprise until after they had permanently added them as tattoos to each other.  The pictures were wrapped as to conceal the design and Chloe and Max headed home from a long evening, both having paint not wanting to be removed from their hands.  The night was dark and Max sent a text to her Mom saying they were headed home now. Max reached down beside Chloe and grabbed her hand raising it to Max’s mouth and giving Chloe’s knuckles a kiss.  Chloe laughed and told Max she had paint on her lips which quickly followed by Chloe running her tongue across Max’s face trying to get the paint off playfully.

“ _Hey now, none of that in my cab!  I don’t need any unplanned pregnancies happening in my car,_ ” the driver said looking in his rearview mirror.

Chloe looked forward at the mirror and said, _“That would be a miracle if that happened, neither of us has a penis!_ ”

Max laughed and the driver returned his gaze to the road obviously not wanting to continue the discussion.  A few minutes later the driver arrived at the Caulfield residence slowing just in front of the driveway. Max handed money to the man and wished him a good night which he in return said to the pair.  Vanessa and Ryan had left a note on the counter telling Max to lock up before going to bed and mentioning there was a pie in the refrigerator if they were hungry. Max placed their paintings next to the door as Chloe grabbed the remaining pie and two forks.  They sat on the couch and found a random movie to enjoy together. Chloe tossed a warm blanket across their laps and they both ate and enjoyed the quiet night time where everything but them felt to be asleep at that moment. Max leaned over and kissed Chloe saying, “ _I love you Chlo._ ”  Chloe kissed her back and said, “ _Love you too Super-Max._ ”


	20. La Traviata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is finally getting to chance to visit a local car garage and spend some time as a mechanic. She is welcome by an operatic opening and finds her love for cars is stronger than she knew. Max and Chloe decide to make her parents dinner in thanks for all they do for the pair and hope the night doesn't get awkward with the forthcoming topic at hand.

The sun hadn’t even appeared and Chloe was wide awake in eagerness for her day in the car garage.  She didn’t know what types of cars they would have but she was excited nonetheless. Chloe laid on the floor with Max sprawled across her in a weird formation Chloe had only ever seen in gymnastics.  She thought about waking Max but she found peace at that moment with nothing and no one to worry about, be questioned by or worry if she was offending. Chloe felt truly at peace laying there with Max and had no doubts that this life was one she could experience for eternity with her best friend.

Chloe slid from under Max trying not to wake her and headed to take a shower before everyone had beat her there.  The water was boiling hot just as she liked it and their water was epic compared to some of the places Her and Max had stayed.  As hard as she tried to get the paint off her hands, bits lingered unwilling to be removed. Chloe was okay with this, she knew her hands would be much dirtier after a day in a car garage.  When she finished Chloe wiped off the steamy mirror and wrapped herself in a towel. She tried different options for her hair, even going for the prim and proper Victoria look but settled on her regular part.

Just before seven, Max’s parents awoke in a caffeine deficient haze, any other time of day they would be shocked with Chloe being up so early.  Chloe had gone so far as to make them coffee and even started pancakes, using her Mom’s years of cooking as a guide. Everything turned out quite well, to Ryan and Vanessa’s surprise but enjoyed the gesture nonetheless.  

“ _Chloe, did you guys have fun yesterday?  I saw the wrapped paintings, hopefully, we’ll get to see your masterpiece,_ ” Ryan said as he sipped on his black coffee that had been made stronger than normal.

“ _Oh yeah, we had a blast.  We checked out a weed store and  I got Max so high she actually got a pirate tattoo on her butt,_ ” Chloe said completely joking.

Vanessa, not realizing Chloe was joking choked on her pancakes.  “ _You did what?  Chloe Price I can’t believe you did…_ ” she said being interrupted by Chloe in absolute hysterics.  The caffeine kicked in and reminded her she was, after all, talking to Chloe and smiled accordingly.

“ _Seriously though, we had an awesome time.  We hung out with these two biker chicks Barb and June, they just got married in Canada and offered to take Me and Max on a ride sometime._ ”  Chloe replied overly smiling as the three cups of coffee started to kick in.

Vanessa gave Ryan an odd glance at the mention of the women being married in Canada but Chloe didn’t seem them, she was scrolling endlessly on her phone looking at trucks saw hoped to see in the garage.  A few minutes later Max walked from her room with her head hanging down suffering from a lack of energy.

“ _Good Morning Max, Chloe made breakfast if you’re hungry,_ ” Ryan said heading upstairs to change for work.  

Vanessa soon followed leaving Just Max and Chloe sitting at the table.  Chloe had never fully appreciated a tired Max, her movements were so slow yet so cute.  Max’s hair in a messy state covering eyes, Chloe took the opportunity to move it aside for her.  

“ _How are you awake?  Am I dreaming again?  Chloe Price does not get up before the sun does...ever!_ ” Max said trying her best to pour coffee in her cup and not pass out midway.

“ _Dude, I wanna go to the garage and learn some shit.  Did you know the average take home for a mechanic in Seattle is over $50k?  Do you know how much weed and cameras that could but? I’m gonna be rich! Besides, you’re expensive to live with so I’m gonna need a high paying job,_ ”  Chloe said still fueled by a caffeine high.

At that moment Ryan had walked into the room and surely heard Chloe’s comment about living with Max.  Chloe hadn’t noticed but Max caught sight of her Dad’s perplexed state and wondered what he was thinking at that moment.

“ _Ready to go Chloe?  I called and they were cool with bringing you in early if you’re up for it,_ ” Ryan said grabbing his car keys and jacket.  Chloe said goodbye to Max and rand behind Ryan shutting the door as she left.  The sun was finally out but the morning had a chill to it waking Chloe up even more.  Ryan drove a nice car, nothing spectacular but served him well for his daily commutes.  He turned on the local news radio station to get traffic updates and some light humor.

“ _So Ryan, I mean Mr. Caulfield.  I uh want to ask you something if you’re cool with it,_ ” Chloe said turned to the side to look at him as he nodded her to proceed.

“ _So umm yeah, Max and I.  I mean I want to know...if...I can umm.  If you’re cool if we…_ ” Chloe tried to get out but started to have a coughing fit that lasted three blocks.

“ _Oh look at that, we’re here.  You’ll get done before me so here’s some money for a cab.  Have fun Chloe,_ ” Ryan said obviously trying to avoid whatever topic Chloe had tried to bring up.

Chloe exited the vehicle and with a wave, Ryan had accidentally spun his back tires pushing the gas a bit too hard.  As he turned the corner, Chloe made an about-face only to be welcomed by a massive garage with the words “Seattle Classics” across the closed doors preventing Chloe from seeing inside.  She made her way into the front office and was welcomed by an older woman with a Motherly way about her.

“ _Oh, you must be Chloe, come on in.  We have some clothes for you to change in to,_ ” The woman said leading Chloe to a backroom full of boxes where she handed Chloe some clothing.  Chloe started to take off her shirt but was stopped by the woman and was led to the Woman’s bathroom to change.

Chloe was shocked at the beautiful bathroom in, of all places, a garage.  The floors were beautiful hardwoods that looked to be fresh off the tree and along the side wall were three sections of mirrors behind porcelain sinks that poured water as you got close.  Chloe had expected grease, a few cockroaches and some nudie mags but started like this place even more.

As Chloe looked at the clothes she was given, she noticed the light blue coveralls had her name stitched on the chest and even the t-shirt had look to be made of a lot finer material than she was used to.  She placed her clothes in a bag and headed out to see what was next.

“ _Oh look at you, going to fit right in!_ ” The woman said absolutely beaming at Chloe.  She led Chloe through door after door to the back area where they housed the vehicles.  As she entered, Chloe was met by a sound she didn’t expect. The famous opera “La Traviata” bounced from wall to wall in a stunning presentation that oddly meshed well with the beautiful classic cars sitting in the various stalls.  A rotund man approached Chloe singing the opera nearly as good as the record portrayed, he took Chloe’s hand and led her in what she took was a dance. He swung her around the room nearly missing a classic red 1966 Chevy Camaro looking shinier than the man’s forehead.  Finally, he let Chloe free from the dance as she spun herself into a dizzy state.

“ _Chloe, my dear welcome to my shop.  I understand you have an affinity for fixing things and perhaps may, someday, be interested in working on beautiful creations like these,_ ” the man said as he turned the music down to an acceptable level.

“ _I, yeah, I guess.  I fixed my truck,_ ” Chloe said still overwhelmed by the musical presentation.

“ _Let me ask you, what did it feel like when you heard your truck run for the first time?_ ” The large man asked purely focused on every word about the exit Chloe’s mouth.

“ _It was, well, I don’t know how to describe it.  I guess it’s like being a Mom and having a baby.  Seeing this thing you helped to bring to life take its first steps and say its first words,_ ” Chloe said unsure if this was a test or not.

“ _Exactly,_ ” the man said beaming at Chloe looking like a proud parent.

The man showed Chloe vehicle after vehicle, explaining every fine detail he knew she would appreciate.  He stopped at one truck specifically and explained to what lengths he went to get a tiny little piece for the vehicle.  He explained how the value is influenced by how much is original to the car and that he has never been forced to use an aftermarket part in his thirty plus years as a mechanic.  The two talked for hours and the shop owner even let Chloe help with a new build in the area of the shop. Chloe had found a love in cars, more specifically in fixing what was once broken.  This day had made her appreciate even more what she had with Max and the love they had shared over the years.

“ _Chloe, it has been an absolute pleasure to meet you and when you get to the point in life you are serious about this, please give me a call.  But for now, you live life and see the world with that Max of yours,_ ” The man said giving Chloe a firm handshake and pulling her in for a very large and warm hug.

The woman, who Chloe found out was the wife of the garage owner, had called Chloe a taxi and even paid for her ride home.  She gave Chloe a hug goodbye and said she hoped to see her back soon before closing up the office for the afternoon. Chloe surprisingly had not gotten her overalls dirty though her hands were another story.  

The ride home was silent, Chloe had a lot to process about what she experienced at the garage and what the man had said to her.  Chloe asked herself if this was something she could see herself doing for a long time which she quickly answered yes. The taxi pulled in front of the Caulfield residence before Chloe had realized it.  The taxi refused her payment as Chloe remembered the ride was paid for. As Chloe came in she found Max sitting at the table on her Dad’s laptop typing with extreme focus.

“ _Honey, I’m home!_ ” Chloe said jokingly as she came up behind Chloe and gave her a hug from behind.  “ _What’re you up to?  Looking at porn again?_ ” Chloe continued with her arms bent over Max’s shoulders.

“ _I’m checking in on everything going on at Arcadia Bay.  They are doing so much work with rebuilding homes, I really want to go back and help,_ ” Max said with a very serious tone.  

“ _There are people still living in shelters with nothing, I think we owe it to them to help if we can,_ ” Max finished as she continued typing on the Blackwell Message board.

Chloe agreed and quoted the garage manager about living life which she messed up though Max understood what she meant.  Max said they should make her parents dinner since they had decided to tell them about being together and now being engaged.  Chloe had absolutely forgotten about her attempt at asking Ryan for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Max caught the look on Chloe’s faced and asked, “ _What? What happened?_ ”

“ _I may have attempted to ask...your dad...for...your hand in marriage,_ ” Chloe said though she made the last half come out in gibberish?

“ _You asked my Dad for what?_ ” Max asked now standing up in front of Chloe.

“ _I asked your Dad, well, I tried to ask your Dad if I could marry you.  But it’s okay, he cut me off before I could ask so it’s all good!_ ” Chloe said more so trying to convince herself more than Max that Ryan hadn’t guessed at what the question would be.

Max actually smiled at the statement and gave Chloe a hug.  “ _You tried to ask him if you could marry me?  Aww Chlo, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!_ ”

Chloe, strutting a bit said, “ _Yeah well, you know me...Miss Chivalrous!_ ”

Chloe washed her hands thoroughly and helped Max to make a chicken casserole for Ryan and Vanessa; the smell after a few minutes baking smelled absolutely heavenly.  Max and Chloe changed to try and appear a bit more presentable for the evening’s dinner discussion but their nerves made them even more awkward. Just as the casserole finished, Ryan and Vanessa entered the front door and commented on how amazing the house smelled.  Both parents went to wash up and sat at the already-set table awaiting the glorious feast they didn’t have to prepare for once.

It looked to be that Ryan had forgotten the morning talk with Chloe, or at least she hoped that was the case.  Max tapped her fork against her glass of water calling for attention to her.

“ _Mom and Dad, we just wanted to thank you both for letting us stay here while things get figured out at Blackwell.  You guys have done so much for me and Chloe and we just wanted to give you a night where you didn’t need to cook,_ ” Max said.

Ryan and Vanessa smiled at their daughter and raised their glasses of wine to Chloe and Max.  Chloe stood up pumping the table with her knee and tried her best to suppress a few choice curse words.

“ _Thank you both for letting me stay, you both rock!  And well…_ ” Chloe said and started to have another coughing fit which promptly reminded Ryan of his morning talk with her.  Ryan tried to change the topic but Chloe managed to stop coughing.

“ _Max and I have been friends since before we can remember.  When she left Arcadia Bay, my life felt like it was ripped in half and the best part of me had been removed.  But, when Max came back it felt like we hadn’t lost a day of time apart. I’ve been through a lot since then with my Dad and my other... Rachel…_ ” Chloe stopped trying to complete her sentence.  Max placed her hand on top of Chloe’s which both Ryan and Vanessa caught.

“ _Life has not been easy, for any of us.  But the one constant in my life has been Max and every time we are apart, bad things seem to happen that show us just how much we need to be together.  Max’s is the one person in life I can most count on and she is the one person I most want to spend every day with. That is why I would like to ask for Max’s hand in marriage._ ” Chloe finished eloquently.

Both Ryan and Vanessa looked at each other and smiled.  Vanessa looked at Chloe and said, “ _I had always hoped for another daughter that was just like you.  Now, you’ll be my daughter for real! We can’t be more happy for you two, it’s about time!_ ”

Vanessa teared up at the conclusion of her statement and ran over to hug Max and Chloe in congratulations.  Ryan, doing the guy thing, gave Chloe a fist bump and continued eating the casserole that he was still shocked tasted so good.


	21. Hot Wax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe decide to spend just one more day in Seattle before heading back to Arcadia Bay and assist with the rebuilding of the city. As a present to them both, Vanessa treats them to a day at the spa and all that entails.

With the rebuilding effort at Blackwell, Max had decided she wanted to go back and help those in need.  Her parents fully supported the idea and decided to give her and Chloe a day at the spa as an engagement present and a day of fun before they have to work really hard.  Chloe told Max to have fun and that she would be taking up residence in her former room and living with Ryan and Vanessa permanently. Max had been working on her stern wife look and shot a look at Chloe that could cut through glass.  Chloe was taken aback by the new Max and simply said, “ _ Yes Ma’am _ ” as she went to clean up after breakfast.  Vanessa gave Max a high five and whispered something about how easy it was to get Ryan to do things he didn’t want to do.

Max and Chloe decided they would leave the next morning and had already checked with Joyce to make sure it was okay they both stayed in the Price home while they helped out.  Joyce was ecstatic over the news Chloe would be back home, however, she and David had not yet heard the news about the engagement. Chloe wasn’t sure what David would say but she knew without a doubt her Mom would be happy for them both.

Vanessa drove Chloe and Max to a high-end day spa later in the morning.  Both girls tried to get Vanessa to join them but insisted it was their time together and she had to get to work.  They entered the lush white building and were met by a woman that looked like she just got out of high school. As Max and Chloe approached the desk the girl continued texting furiously on her phone and said,  _ “Welcome to the Emerald City Day Spa.  Who is the reservation under? _ ”

“ _ I think it’s under Caulfield? _ ” Max said unsure of who her Mom had placed the reservation under.  

Barely looking away from her phone for a split second, the girl found the reservation and continued her texting tirade.  “ _ Ah yes, we have you both for the deluxe package.  Please have a seat to your right and they will be right out to get you, _ ” she continued but reached her hand to the counter and rang a bell.

Just as Max and Chloe barely touched the seats, two women came from the back dressed in white outfits with the Spa name embroidered on the chest.  “ _ Please come with us Miss Caulfield, Miss Price, _ ” One of the women said opening the door for them.  As they started down a long hall, the second woman explained the day’s itinerary to the pair which mostly sounded very enjoyable.  As a joke, Joyce had also requested a leg and bikini waxing for them both though she specifically asked to not tell Max and Chloe about it.

The pair were handed puffy white robes and non-alcoholic drinks as they were delivered to the changing room.  Chloe and Max both changed leaving only underwear beneath their robes, which Chloe flaunted her Hawt Dawg Man undies just as the women entered the room to escort the pair to the massage room.  One of the women made a comment about how much her five-year-old loves the show as she gave Chloe a motherly smile.

Chloe and Max laid on massage tables side by side as the women prepared the oils and music for the sixty-minute full body massage.  Chloe had laid face up mistakenly and had to turn over after she saw Max with her face in the small hole at the top of the table. The women began with the feet and legs, using a very effective deep tissue method that Chloe felt to the bone.  Max had warned her beforehand about the massage and said she will feel a thousand times better after a day. Chloe was fighting a vicious charlie horse in her calf which the masseuse noticed and proceeded to rub thoroughly with the tips of her fingers.  Oil was dripped on their upper thighs as the women proceeded to the next area. This was perhaps the most painful part as the women applied the most pressure to this area than either Max or Chloe had felt. Chloe exhaled violently trying to keep down the expletives trying violently to escape her mouth.  The woman attempted to adjust Chloe's underwear so she could continue but Chloe proceeded to slap her hand and said she was spoken for which made Max laugh.

The oils in the room had made Max and Chloe feel thick and in desperate need of showers as the women had finished the massages.  They were both helped from the tables and led to a large stand-up shower to clean off the oil. A thick line of oil flowed from both of their feet into the drain at the center of the room as they stood below the large spouts.  After having dried off, they found two fresh robes to wear and exited the room to find the women awaiting their presence.

“ _ Miss Price, I believe you will like this the most, _ ” one of the women as she opened the door to a long room with twelve bathtubs set into the ground.  Chloe didn’t see what was so special until so she got close to the tub and saw it was full of mud. She threw her robe to the side and immediately sat in dunking her head below the mud.  The contents felt amazing against her skin, it seemed to apply pressure in just the right areas to help her relax. Max, however, was a bit more cautious as she stepped in the thick mud making sure to not go above her shoulders.  

The women closed the door leaving the room to Max and Chloe alone.  Max, feeling a pending mud fight coming, told Chloe no which she had been shocked by.  “ _ What the heck, did your Mom teach you some Jedi wife mind trick or something?  I wasn’t going to throw much, _ ” Chloe said sounding defeated.  Max sat there with her eyes closed and enjoyed the bath as the mud began to harden against her skin.  Chloe managed to reach over and wipe a few streaks of mud against Max’s face which she refused to admit felt good, though Max later added more mud to her face when Chloe wasn’t looking.

Both Max and Chloe were barely able to move as the mud had hardened creating a solid barrier.  Max was reading a booklet on the benefits of the mud and read them to Chloe who sounded mildly interested.  The women walked in the room, obviously having made a bet if Chloe had made a massive mess which she didn’t.  Both Chloe and Max had to be pulled from the tubs as they felt unable to move; once free their skin tingled as a gentle breeze hit their skin.  Both were led back to the shower to wash off the mud before the next phase.

Since Chloe and Max had just gotten their nails done, they opted out of the nail service but had been laid back on the tables for botanical facials.  As a smaller woman the pair hadn’t met walked in, an overwhelming smell hit their noses nearly making Chloe gag. The woman had been used to the looks from clients before and told them their noses would get used to it in a few minutes.  Both Chloe and Max had their hair pulled back and wrapped in towels to prevent damage. The woman took what looked to be a paintbrush and coated their faces with a greenish-white paste that felt good at first but ultimately had a burning sensation after a few minutes which the woman assured them was normal.  Chloe again refrained from threats and cursing for the sake of not causing a scene or getting banned from the business. As the as paste dried, the facial technician used a variety of tools to massage their faces as well as remove the paste from their skin. As soon as the cool air hit the skin, their faces felt like mouthwash had been poured on with a fresh feeling awakening the pores.  

The woman applied layer after layer of random paste or chemical to their faces and explained the benefits of each.  When finished, Chloe’s face felt like she had just gotten slapped fifty times. The technician gathered her items and told Max and Chloe to wait for the last phase of their treatment which she didn’t explain was after Chloe had asked.  Max had an inkling of what may be coming but chose not to tell Chloe out of fear she would run from the building topless and get arrested. A minute later, the two women entered with a tray of various items Max knew was hot wax and hair removal paper.  The woman that had assisted Chloe had an oddly satisfying look on her face as if she found pleasure in what she was about to do.

Chloe was getting into the experience and asked what was next as the woman smeared hot wax on Chloe’s leg.  She mentioned how good it felt on her leg just before the woman ripped a strip of hair from Chloe’s leg taking with her every curse word and threat Chloe’s vocabulary contained.  The woman decided it may be best to close the door as to not interrupt other guests.

Max had been taking the waxing quite well since she had it done before and knew what to expect.  Chloe, on the other hand, had tears running down her cheeks and asked why anyone would ever pay to have this done.  The woman ripped strip after strip of paper from Chloe’s leg trying to hold back her joy of the event. The two women gave the pair a few minutes to recover and asked to remove their underwear for the bikini waxes which Chloe absolutely refused.  Max explained how awesome it feels after the fact and even went so far as to say it really doesn’t hurt at all. Chloe, wanting to believe Max agreed and slowly removed the rest of her clothes and now only being covered by a towel across her front.

The woman smeared hot wax against the remaining area that still had hair and told Chloe to countdown from three to one which she did.  Chloe let out one of the loudest and ear-piercing screams Max had ever heard, but mid-scream the woman continued on her torturous duty.  Line after line of hair was removed from Chloe, each more painful than the previous. Max was crying not from the pain of the hair removal but from seeing Chloe utterly destroyed by the process; Max had been the same way her first time and now found it hilarious.  

Finally, they had finished the process and proceeded to clean up the tables as Chloe asked for a cigarette.  The woman laughed not knowing Chloe was joking and exited the room to let Chloe and Max change. 

“ _ Max, I don’t want to marry you anymore.  I’m going to become a nun, _ ” Chloe said sounding as if she had been abused.  Max tried to give her a hug which Chloe promptly rejected making Max laugh even harder.  The pair managed to put on their clothing and wait in the lobby for their taxi to arrive.  Chloe huddled in a ball in her chair hugging a pillow for security. Max was on her phone trying to secretly get a picture of Chloe but kept failing with each attempt.  The taxi drove up to take them home, Chloe decided to sit in the front seat as she trusted the mildly overweight taxi cab driver than she did Max at that moment. The drive to Max’s home was utterly silent and the only one to speak was driver asking if he had stopped at the correct house which he had.

Dinner that night was just as quiet with only Vanessa and Ryan talking about their day.  The realization that Max would be leaving her parents again hit her hard and she tried her best to not cry.  A few minutes later Max asked to be excused so she could lay down, neither Ryan or Vanessa knew why but Chloe found her voice.

“ _ It’s been awesome being here, it feels like things are finally right in the world.  Max really wants to go help in Arcadia Bay but it’s tough leaving you two. She’ll be okay, she knows we’ll see you two again, _ ” Chloe said but as she said the last words she thought of her Dad and how he was taken from her so suddenly.

Chloe stood up and gave both Ryan and Vanessa hugs as they had been to parents to her as much as Joyce had.  She told them goodnight and headed to Max’s room to check on her. Max was laying on her side in the bed as Chloe laid behind her and rested her arm over Max’s stomach.

“ _ I’m still mad at you and your Mom for today.  When I figure out a punishment you’ll be wishing it was just hair removal, _ ” Chloe said trying to cheer up Max.  

“ _ Chlo, what if I never see my parents again?  I’m not strong like you, I can’t just go on like you did, _ ” Max sound in a tiny voice holding back her tears.

Chloe rubbed her hand against Max’s shoulder with these words, she felt them deep in her heart and it ached for her Dad.  Chloe didn’t see herself as strong, she did what she had to do but was still a scared little girl inside that just wanted her Father to be there.  

“ _ Max, I miss my Dad more than anything and I know he can never come back.  But what I do know is that I have people like my Mom, like David and like you to always be there for me.  My Dad will never leave me, I see him all the time in my dreams and we talk every day. Just because he isn’t physically here anymore doesn’t mean his memory is gone!  As long as my heart is beating, so does his. I can’t promise anything won’t happen a year or twenty years from now to your parents, but what I can promise the love I have for you will always be there even if one of us is gone, _ ” Chloe tried to continue but her words were replaced by tears.

Max turned over in the bed to face Chloe and said,  _ “Never leave me, okay? _ ”  

Chloe simply said,  _ “Okay _ ” as she continued crying into Max’s shoulder.  The two laid there in bed holding tight and eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms.  


	22. Morning Selfie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sad morning starts the day as Max and Chloe leave the Caulfield home to head back to Arcadia Bay and help with the recovery efforts in the city. Chloe does everything she can to turn around Max's sad state after leaving her parents again. Just before getting back in town, Chloe surprises Max with a stop at a friend's business.

A warm hand met Chloe’s side, rubbing her stomach under the white t-shirt to bed.  “ _ Chloe, it’s time to get up _ ,” Max whispered into her ear.  There were no arguments or groaning about the time today, it was very somber as Chloe and Max had planned to leave for Arcadia Bay to help rebuild the city.  Max had a goal to leave early and avoid the traffic, she went so far as to get Chloe up thirty minutes earlier than she told her in hopes Chloe would be ready to go by their planned time.  All of their things had been packed and just needing carrying to the truck before there were to leave the Caulfield home.

Waiting for the girls were Ryan and Vanessa sitting at the time sipping coffee and looking as enthused as Max and Chloe.  No one wanted the pair to leave but it was the right thing to do and Max’s parents fully supported the decision. 

“ _ Max, we packed you both some food and drinks for the trip, _ ” said Vanessa quietly.  

The food had been placed next to their bags and wrapped paintings awaiting their owners.  Max struggled to say anything to her parents, leaving was harder than she thought it would be; she made the decision to say nothing in hopes of not crying.  Chloe came from the bedroom dressed and her hair messed up from a night of tossing and turning. She came from behind Ryan and Vanessa giving them hugs and thanking them both for everything.  Chloe grabbed a cup of coffee and took the end seat trying to consume as much as she could without burning her mouth. 

“ _ I don’t know how people do it.  This getting up early thing sucks balls! _ ” Chloe said taking another gulp of hot coffee.

“ _ Time to go _ ,” Max said to Chloe, still avoiding her parents.

Chloe placed the cup in the sink and gave both parents a parting hug and said she hoped they see them soon.  Max followed Chloe closely trying to sneak out without saying goodbye but Chloe turned around in front of the door to face Max.

“ _ I’ve got this stuff, you go talk to them, _ ” Chloe stated refusing to move from the door.

Max turned around, stood for a second then moved forward towards her parents.  Chloe took the opportunity to grab their things and load them in the truck and returned a minute later to continue blocking the door.

“ _ Saying goodbye is always tough, the really sad thing is when it gets easy to say, _ ” Ryan said move close to Max.  “ _ We have a surprise for you but you’ll have to wait till you get to Arcadia Bay before we’ll tell you what it is.  Just know that we both love you more than life itself and we are so very proud of you both. You are the daughter, well daughters, we always dreamed to have and we will always be proud to be your parents.  Just please stay safe, call often and if you need anything at all, no matter what it is, just ask, _ ” he continued.

Vanessa took the Max route and chose to not use her words but embraced her daughter in a hug so tight it melted Max’s core to tears.  Both Max and Vanessa cried as they hugged but it ended as Ryan wished them both a safe trip and to call or text when they get there. Chloe walked forward and grabbed Max by the hand telling her it’ll be okay and gave her future parents a wave goodbye as she led Max to the truck.  Just as Chloe was about to shut her door Ryan came out to meet the pair, “ _ Oh Chloe, I forgot to tell you.  The guys at the car garage left you a little present in your truck. _ ”

Chloe looked around not seeing anything out of place and she looked at Ryan who was indicating to start the truck.  Chloe turned the key and heard a completely new beast roar from under the hood. She wanted to run out and look to see what all they did but knew it was pointless with no light.  Chloe revved the engine to hear it again and waved at Ryan asking if he would thank them for her which he agreed before entering the house.

Max sat in silence, her seat belt fastened and head downwards focusing on the tears pouring from her eyes.  Chloe knew all she could do was to drive and hope some distance would help but she too felt the pain of leaving the Caulfield home.  She backed out and turned at the end of the road which soon met with her turnoff to exit Seattle. Chloe had decided to take a slightly longer path to Arcadia Bay but it would almost all be driven next to the ocean which both would appreciate.

About an hour and a half later as the pair made it across the state line, the sun peaked across the horizon making way to a stunning morning.  Chloe poked around in the bag of food and found a package of donuts which she quickly consumed. A sign had appeared showing a rest stop ten miles ahead, Chloe drank more coffee than her bladder could handle and needed a break.  As she slowed to exit Max finally looked up from her lap and made a final sniffle, “ _ Where are we? _ ” she asked.

“ _ I need to pee hella bad and I figured we could have a romantic sunrise together at the truck stop, _ ” Chloe said trying her best to hold back the pee from bursting forth.

Chloe came to a halt in the parking lot, exited the truck and ran faster than she knew Chloe was possible of running.  Max decided it was a good idea to freshen up and joined Chloe in the bathroom. As Max entered she found Chloe beneath the blow dryer attached to the wall with the nozzle aimed directly at Chloe’s pants.

“ _ I was so close to making it, you may want to watch your step, _ ” Chloe said focusing on the wet spot atop her pants.

Max stepped over the small puddle snickering quietly to herself and made her way to the row of sinks in the corner.  She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face which felt very refreshing and helped to wipe away the dried tears.  Chloe joined her after a minute and washed her hands pointing out the now dry pants; Chloe was quite proud of herself.

As the pair exited the bathroom, they found a picnic table at the back of the park and sat down staring at the sun as it continued to rise higher in the sky.  Chloe rifled through the bag she was carrying and found Max’s camera which she handed to Max for a morning self. 

“ _ Maybe later, _ ” Max said placing the camera on the table.

“ _ I know this is a rough morning, but we’ll see them again really soon.  But in a few hours, you’ll get to see Joyce and have some kickass waffles.  Max, I promise you will feel better when we get there and if you don’t then I will….umm.  I will get a “Super-Max” tattoo on my butt, _ ” Chloe said placing her hand forward hoping Max would agree to the deal.

Max shook Chloe’s hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek with a loving smile and picked up her camera.  Chloe moved as close as she was able to next to Max and with a click the polaroid exited the camera. Max shook the picture back and forth as Chloe stood up ready to get on the road again.  As they walked back to the truck Max placed her hand in Chloe’s back pocket.

As Chloe and Max arrived at the truck, Chloe remembered about the present she had received.  Max hopped in the passenger seat and popped the hood for Chloe. As she raised the hood Chloe was in utter shock at the pristine engine before her, everything looked like new and the chrome parts shined beneath the morning sun.  On the top of the battery compartment was a little note that said: “Check the glovebox.” Chloe closed the hood and ran to the passenger side of the truck and opened the glove box finding a small note on stationary from the garage.

“Every piece of your engine is now true and correct to the year she was born.  Treat her well and she’ll treat you well.” And it was signed by the owner with his phone number beneath the signature.  

Chloe put the note back in the glove box not wanting to lose it and climbed over Max to the driver seat.  She turned on the engine and heard the roar that sounded so beautiful and precise. She put the car in drive and headed for Arcadia Bay.  

As the pair drove, the ocean passed by on their right side making for a spectacular trip.  Max had decided to eat some food now that her hunger was coming back and even fed Chloe chips as she drove towards Arcadia Bay.  Chloe turned off at an exit thirty miles from Arcadia Bay and smiled at Max.

“ _ What’re we doing? Need to pee again? _ ” Max asked appearing very interested in where they were.

Chloe drove a few blocks and pulled off in a small shopping complex with only three stores.  “ _ We’re going to see a friend, he gave me this tattoo, _ ” Chloe said pointing at her arm.  

“ _ We’re what? You want to get tattoos now?  You don’t have to get a “Super-Max” tattoo, I’m not sad anymore, _ ” said Max still in shock.

Chloe had grabbed the paintings and extended her hand to Max to help her out of the seat.  Max, unsure of what was going on, accepted the assistance and followed Chloe to the store which looked to be closed.  Chloe knocked on the glass and waved as she saw a man coming from the back to let them in.

“ _ What the fuck Chlo, you know there’s an 8 P.M. too right? _ ” the man said who looked extremely tired.

“ _ Oh, we can come back later.  I’m sorry that we woke you, _ ” Max said apologizing and trying to pull Chloe back outside.

“ _ It’s cool, I’ll just make sure to press extra hard when I do Chloe’s tattoo, _ ” he said turning on the lights and grabbing his supplies.  “ _ So who's going first? _ ”

Chloe sat down in the chair knowing Max would be very nervous about getting a tattoo and offered to show her it wasn’t that bad.  Both Chloe and Max agreed to get the tattoos on their shoulders in the same place. Max handed her painting to the tattoo artist who concealed the view from Chloe.  He studied the picture for a few minutes and took it to the back to trace the drawing. He told Max how good it was and that even experienced painters never capture anything like this.

The man sat back down and applied the lines to Chloe’s arms, Max blocked her view so she couldn’t see the unfinished art.  He joked with Chloe saying how shaky his hands were being so early in the morning which didn’t seem to phase Chloe in the slightest.  With a high-pitched buzz, he began tattooing Max’s design on Chloe’s shoulder and made sure to get Max’s input as he continued with each section.  Max occasionally would make a comment about how much better it looks than her painting which made the man quite happy.

An hour had passed and finally finished Chloe’s tattoo, wrapping her arm in plastic wrap and a coating of black wrap to conceal the design.  Chloe stood up and let Max sit down in the now warm seat as she passed the man her design. He opened the paper wrapping of the painting and studied the design as he had with Max’s.  Carefully he placed the canvas down and measured Max’s arms which made her nervous; the artist pointed out that she had smaller arms than Chloe and that Chloe needed to lose weight which made Max laugh and feel better.   He went to the back a second time and prepared the design and grabbed the colors he would need.

“ _ Now Max, the lines are the easy part it’s the shading that can hurt a bit more.  Tell me if you need me to stop and take a break, I’ll be a lot more gentle than I was with Chloe, _ ” he said winking at Chloe.

Max nodded and grabbed Chloe’s hand with her other arm as the familiar buzzing noise came to life again.  The man was right, it didn’t hurt as bad as she thought it would but it didn’t feel great to her. Max squeezed Chloe’s hands halfway in as he started the shading of the design which Chloe assured her it’ll be okay and that she was doing great.  He noticed Max started wincing at the pain and asked if she would like to stop which Max declined and said to keep going.

Chloe’s design took longer on Max simply because he wanted to make sure Max was okay during each phase of the tattoo.  After an hour and a half, he finished and wrapped Max’s arm as he had Chloe’s.

“ _ I hope you both like it, they really are awesome tattoos.  Send me some pics when you check them out, I definitely want to put them in my book! _ ” He said leading the girls out.

“ _ Wait, don’t we owe you anything? This had to be expensive! _ ” Max said turning around.

“ _ We’re cool, Chloe helped me out big time a year ago so I’m just helping out a friend, _ ” He said shaking Chloe’s hand.

Max and Chloe said goodbye to the tattoo artist and finished their journey to Arcadia Bay.  As they entered the city, memories of the fateful night rushed back in both of their heads. Building after building had been leveled and the city was completely different than they remembered.  As they neared the Price house, Chloe and Max started seeing groups of people building houses, handing out food and doing what they could to rebuild; the sight gave Chloe and Max a positive feeling in their chests and assured them they had done the right thing with coming back.

Chloe turned into her parking lot and was met by David looking under the hood of his car.  He placed the tools down, wiped his hands off and approached the pair with his stern look. Chloe put the truck in park, opened the door and immediately gave David a warm hug and proceeded to cry.  Max was just as surprised as David had been at this change in Chloe but David welcomed the change and hugged her back with a warm smile spread across his face. 

“ _ This doesn’t mean you can smoke pot in the house, _ ” David said which both and Chloe laughed at.  “ _ Joyce is at work but I think I’ve perfected her waffle technique if you two are hungry, _ ” he continued as he led them both inside.

Chloe and Max sat at the table, memories of the house they both knew so well flooding their brains.  Atop the mantle still sat the little doe snow globe waiting to be shaken and on the counter was the empty swear jar once full of money.  David handed both girls a plate of waffles and sat down with them watching as they ate and giving updates of what was happening around town.  As he finished he told Chloe he was glad she was back and the house had been too quiet without her. Both Chloe and David smiled at each other hoping today was the first day of many good days they would have together.


	23. Letting It All Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a well made breakfast by David, the duo go visit Joyce at the rebuilt Two Whales diner. Eventually, they run into Kate who is leading efforts to help people during the tough times. As the pair goes to a familiar spot, they decided to reveal the tattoos each designed and old feelings start to bubble up.

As Max opened the door to Chloe’s bedroom she found it had been cleaned better than she had ever seen it.  All of the clothing was neatly placed in drawers, her bed wasn’t just made but it was brand new and Chloe’s computer looked have been replaced as well.  Max placed their bags in the corner and sat on the bed waiting for Chloe to see the unexpected change to her room but curse words and a violent tirade of the things she would do to David never came.  In fact, Chloe said how good it looked in there and sat down next to Max with a smile. Max tried to goad Chloe into getting mad about it but her attempt was unsuccessful. This new Chloe was strange to Max but oddly refreshing.

“ _ So, ready to see each other’s tattoo? _ ” Chloe asked Max excitedly.

Max, hoping for a rise out of Chloe said, “ _ Maybe later. _ ” Again, nothing out of Chloe in response, she simply said maybe they could reveal them after dinner and proceeded to check out the new bed.

“ _ I can’t believe they got me a new bed, and a Queen size too.  Just imagine all the positions… _ ” Chloe started to say but caught David at the door.

“ _ I’m headed to Blackwell for a bit, you two want to join me? _ ” David asked the pair.

“ _ Oh, how is Blackwell?  Did it get damaged pretty badly in the storm? _ ” Max asked as she sat upright.

“ _ The school actually didn’t get much damage at all, because of Jefferson the Board finally agreed to my plan to strengthen security and they even hired two other guards.  They gave me a fancy title and some extra money, though helping to take down Jefferson helped a bit I think. Oh, you haven’t heard yet Chloe but they’ve agreed to wipe your record clean and rejoin next semester free of charge. _ ” he responded pulling on his belt with gun, taser and pepper spray attached.

Max beamed at Chloe with the news that she could go back to Blackwell next semester but Chloe’s expression didn’t match the news, in fact, she looked a bit put off.

“ _ I think, I dunno.  I really liked working on cars and I think I found something I really love.  Do I really need to go back? Can’t I just go learn a trade and do what I enjoy? _ ” Chloe asked David, really unsure of what to do.  Chloe had sought the advice of David which forced him to choose his words carefully.

“ _ Chloe, you are an adult and it’s your decision if you want to finish.  But as someone who struggled after high school and went the same path you want to go, you will be judged heavily for not at least getting your G.E.D.  I support your decision but I think you should go back, finish what you started and, if anything, show people you don’t quit! _ ” he said.

Chloe laid back on the bed running her fingers through her and mentioned she has a lot to think about and would ask Joyce her feelings when she got home.  David smiled at the new person in front of him and wished them both a good rest of the day.

Max stood up, crossed arms looking at Chloe and said,  _ “ What the fuck?  How the hell are you and what did you do to Chloe? _ ”

Chloe looked up at Max shocked at the words being used and said, “ _ I know, I know step-douche blah blah blah.  But seriously Max so much has happened and I know it’s time get serious.  Something happened the past few days that reminded me of who I used to be.  I used to fucking LOVE science and my grades killed! But when you left and then Rachel died, I kinda stopped caring...about anything.  I don’t like that person, I have you now and I found a passion for cars. I want to be happy with you Max, _ ” Chloe said sitting up and grabbing Max’s hand.

Max stood there stewing over what she just heard, something still felt off to her about Chloe but she couldn’t pinpoint it.  Was it coming back to Arcadia Bay and the past things that happened here or something perhaps with Rachel? Max decided to let it go and suggested they go visit Joyce at the diner before heading into town to see the damage firsthand.

The Two Whales Diner looking brand new since the last time Max and Chloe visited.  Max’s last time inside was during the hurricane as she retrieved the picture from Warren.  As they entered the door, the familiar smell of home-cooked food caught their noses. Chloe mentioned how she could eat again even though she David’s waffles just an hour ago.  Max and Chloe sat down in the furthest booth that had also been replaced. The place looked the same but, at the same time, looked completely different. 

“ _ Chloe, Max, why didn’t you guys tell me you were coming by? _ ” Joyce said as she ran from behind the counter and gave each a hug.

“ _ Mrs. Price, you look amazing, have you been working out or something? _ ” Max asked as she caught sight of a slimmer version of Joyce.  Her face looked more defined and she had an overall glow about her.

“ _ Oh Max, how sweet of you!  David and I have been taking dance lessons after work and we even get up early for morning walks.  Hopefully, you two will join us, _ ” she added looking more so at Chloe.

A glimmer of the old Chloe appeared as she said, “ _ I didn’t join the Army for a reason, Mom.  I hate mornings, I hate exercise and I hate being told what to do.  But Max here was just saying how much she wanted to get up early and start walking so it looks like you may be plus one tomorrow morning. _ ”

“ _ I would love to, Morning’s aren't my thing but I guess I need to get used to getting up early again before school starts, _ ” Max said as Joyce beamed at her.

“ _ Just for that Max will get her usual and Chloe gets to have an egg white omelet with spinach, _ ” Joyce said writing down the order and heading back to the counter.  

Chloe looked defeated as she tried to get her Mom’s attention but failed.  Max smiled at Chloe as she knew a Joyce meal was on the way and pulled out her phone to check the last updates about Arcadia Bay.  A few minutes later the diner doors opened and a man entered holding a bouquet of flowers. The man looked around the room and found Joyce at the back and handed the vase to her with the attached note.  Joyce placed the flowers behind her on the counter and smiled brightly at the small card, giving a gentle sniff of the present. 

Joyce walked over with two plates of bacon, eggs, and pancakes sizzling hot for the pair. “ _ You didn’t think I would give you spinach, do you? _ ” Joyce said placing the warm plates and laughing at Chloe’s expression.

Chloe ravaged the food, if she hadn’t needed a fork and knife she would have easily used her hands to rip through the pancakes.  She tried to ask her Mom a question but all that came out was, “ _ Who...flowers. _ ”

Joyce smiled at the question and said, “ _ Oh, David.  He’s such a romantic and new it was my birthday. _ ”

Chloe genuinely started choking on Joyce’s mention of her birthday.  “ _ Oh Chloe, I was just kidding.  Come here, _ ” Joyce said standing behind Chloe and helping the food to be swallowed.  She handed Chloe a glass of water and had the tiniest bit of a devilish Chloe grin about her at the joke that made her daughter choke.

“ _ Not funny, I could’ve died Mom!  I would like to speak to your Manager, this service is outrageous, _ ” Chloe said making Joyce laugh even harder as she headed back to assist the other customers.

Max sat smiling at what had just unfolded before her eyes but dared not laugh or make a comment at the fear of what Chloe might do when Max was asleep.  Both finished their food, sat awhile to let the food digest and eventually decided to head in town and see the damage. Joyce waved at the pair and she would see them at dinner before taking another order.  

The afternoon was beautiful, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect for an afternoon ride.  Chloe headed towards Blackwell at a slow pace so they could comment about what had previously been in the now empty lot.  Quite a few homes had been destroyed but construction companies littered the blocks making great many from the rebuilding of the town.  Luckily a lot of families had insurance which paid for even bigger and better houses than they once had. 

“ _ Chloe, stop up ahead, I think that’s Kate! _ ” Max said focusing on a woman Max’s height feeding a group of people.  As Chloe came to a stop she looked out the passenger window and yelled, “ _ Hey Kate, lookin’ good! _ ”

Kate looked around trying to find the source of the yell and her eyes finally found Chloe and Max.  She said something to another girl sitting next to her and ran up to the passenger window.

“ _ Chloe, Max it’s so good to see you both; I really missed you guys!  You here to help out? _ ” Kate asked in her kind and sincere voice Max had missed quite a bit.

“ _ We figured it was time to come back and help.  How are you Kate, we really missed you! _ ” Max asked.

“ _ I’m great, my Family’s church has been the center of getting people back on their feet which has given me a lot to do.  But it’s been great to help so many people in need! _ ” Kate stated almost sounding rehearsed.

Chloe moved closer to Max so she could ask Kate a question she didn’t want others to hear, “ _ But how are You doing Kate?  You were at the center of a lot of pain and dealing with all of that can’t be easy! _ ”

Kate stood pondering what Chloe asked and opened the truck door sitting next to Max.  “ _ Can we drive for a bit? _ ” 

Chloe started the truck and took a left at the corner down another hard-hit block.  Neither Max or Chloe spoke in hopes Kate would begin speaking. As soon as they were a mile past the church Kate said, “ _ I tried to kill myself, my family thought I did something I didn’t do and I saw death all around me with that storm.  For a few days, I really questioned God and even my Faith but things changed when I got a call from Victoria of all people.  Our conversation was private but I will say things happen for a reason and I see that now. I’m getting better but it’ll be a long road to get where I want to be.  Max, you always have a great way of making me feel better, _ ” Kate said giving Max a hug.

The hug made Chloe jealous and caused her to take a sharp right turning pulling Max closer to her.  Max noticed the act and patted Chloe on the knee and told Kate, “ _ I was really worried about you and I tried to find the right words but just didn’t know what to say.  Kate, I’m always here for you and just hope you can forgive me for not talking to you sooner. We did see Victoria too and actually are working on a friendship that hopefully won't end when school starts. _ ”

Kate became very nervous with the statement and said, “ _ Oh, you saw Victoria? Did she...tell you anything...about...me? _ ” Max instantly knew what Kate was referring to but decided it was best to not say she knew Victoria had feelings for Kate.

“ _ She just said she was trying to become a better person and felt bad about the video and everything she said about and to you, _ ” Max said.

Kate’s demeanor changed to one of relief and she smiled at the statement.  “ _ Well, I better get back to the church.  Oh, and I started writing again, if you both wouldn’t mind I’d like to see what you think?  They’re only kids books but I’d really like to hear your honest opinions if you don’t mind that is. _ ” Kate asked as Chloe pulled up to the church.  Max said she couldn’t wait to read them which gave Kate an extra bounce to her step as she headed back to hand out food and supplies.

Chloe pulled forward to drive around more and said, “ _ What’s that rule, thou shall not lie? _ Maxine Caulfield you lied to Kate, I think you deserve spankings later tonight!”

“ _ I hated to lie to her but I can’t help but see that person on the roof wanting to end it all because of Victoria.  She did a lot of damage to Kate and those wounds don’t heal overnight, hopefully, Victoria comes back as the person we saw a few days ago, _ ” Max replied in a serious voice.

“ _ Hey, let’s go to the lighthouse Chloe, _ ” Max said nearly causing Chloe to wreck her truck as she closely avoided a tree.

“ _ What the hell dude, you want to go back there? _ ” Chloe asked stunned at Max’s request.

“ _ I’ve never known Chloe Price to be scared, _ ” Max stated to force Chloe’s hand at joining her.

“ _ Fine! _ ” Chloe said slamming on the gas and heading down to the beach.  

The last time the pair had been to the lighthouse the city was amidst a tornado and Chloe was begging Max to save the city and sacrifice her.  Max never once doubted her decision to save Chloe and had even told her she would do it again if it meant being with Chloe for the rest of her life.  The lighthouse was still standing as they approached the beach and the sand below was clear of all the dead whales that had come ashore. A gentle mist and a warm breeze hit their faces as they walked up the damaged path to the lighthouse.  At the end of the path, Chloe and Max sat on the bench overlooking the Bay they had visited regularly.

Chloe placed her arm around Max and felt the plastic wrap still attached to Max’s arm.  She removed her arm and pulled up her sleeve seeing the black wrap covering the creation she was dying to see.  Max, seeing Chloe poking at the tattoo turned to Chloe and lifted up her sleeve indicated it was time to reveal what each had tattooed on their arms.  Together they both peeled layer by layer of plastic back, both seeing the design they chose before even looking at their own tattoo. Each loved the work put in by the tattoo artist and remarked how well he made them look.

Max counted down from three for both to look and their arms and both were stricken silent by the designs.  On Max’s upper arm was a stunning blue butterfly that looked so realistic it could fly off her arm. The tattoo artist had layered the shades of blue so well and gave each wing so much more texture than Max knew possible.  She wanted to touch the design but didn’t want to get an infection from her dirty hands.

Chloe did not want to open her eye, she was actually afraid to see what Max had given her.  A warm breeze caressed Chloe’s cheek and she heard a silent yet familiar voice that sounded like Rachel Amber whisper in her ear, “ _ Open your eyes. _ ”  She slowly opened her eyes as the voice said and instantly started crying at the young brown doe with its head down looking for food.  The doe had been added in almost a translucent way, it looked almost ghostly in nature yet the beauty was perfectly captured and she instantly thought of Rachel.

Chloe looked up from her arm with tears streaming down her cheeks and reached across to hug Max.  Both embraced each other and tears of every feeling came out on that bench overlooking Arcadia Bay.  The memories of Rachel, the day in the bathroom, the pictures, the storm, it all came out flowing from Chloe and Max’s eyes.  Max turned to wipe her nose and standing on a patch of grass was a doe, the exact doe, in fact, that Max had seen the day in the studio.  The doe lowered its head to feed on grass and as Max wiped away tears, it disappeared.


	24. Chloe Was Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blackwell Academy and Arcadia Bay need the assistance of the Photographic excellence of one Maxine Caulfield. But as Max leaves, Chloe makes her way to the junkyard where she finds an old friend in her second home.

A knock on the door awoke Chloe and Max from their afternoon nap which was soon followed by the voice of David from downstairs telling Max she had a package.  Chloe laid back down not fully grasping what was going on but knew her name was not called. Max sat up from the bed, put on a pair of fresh socks and headed downstairs to see David carrying a large box to the dining room table.

“ _ A package for me?  I didn’t think anyone really knew I was here outside of Kate, _ ” Max said curious about the contents.

David offered Max his knife to open the box which she accepted and slowly cut through the tape on the top side.  She tried to close his knife but was unsuccessful and handed it back to him handle side first; David showed Max the lever and then stowed the knife back in his pocket.  He was just as curious as she was and stood watching over her shoulder as she opened the flaps.

Inside were boxes and on the top sat a letter from Blackwell Academy:

“Miss Caulfield,

I first and foremost want to offer you my humblest apologies about what happened in regards to our former staff.  The atrocities that happened to you and select others are irreversible and something I fear will never be removed from the history of Blackwell Academy.  The events are something I hold myself responsible for as I unknowingly allowed them to happen which is why I will be resigning as soon as a replacement is selected.

But I am writing to you in hopes of getting your help with a project for Blackwell and the town.  As you have surely seen, the town and Blackwell are rebuilding physically and emotionally and we would like your help in documenting these efforts so we can never forget what happened and where we go to with community.

Enclosed in the box are tools you may need in this process which, might I add, you get to keep after the close of the project as well as your name added as a primary contributor and main photographer.  Any future shows or gallery events that choose to show your pictures will credit you first and foremost which would also help to advance your future in photography.

I hope you are willing to assist us in this time of need, I have set up a meeting to discuss further this afternoon if you’re available.  All of the details are attached, please feel free to call me if you need to reschedule.

Sincerely,

Principal Raymond Wells

Blackwell Academy”

Max put the note aside which David scanned over as she began searching through the boxes enclosed.  

“ _ They got me a new camera and a ton of other things, this must’ve cost thousands! _ ” Max said opening box after box.

“ _ Max, I think this is a great idea.  When I was overseas we had this guy Jimmy that followed us around taking video of everything that happened so people would see what it was really like.  He didn’t shy away from gunfire, he stood right next to us as we did our jobs. We looked at him as a brother even if he wasn’t technically serving. You can show the world the true spirit this town has and what the power of community can really do.  Just uh, make sure you get my good side, _ ” David said making a pose for Max.

“ _ Shoot, this meeting is in twenty minutes, I better go change.  Do you think you could give me a ride to Blackwell? _ ” Max asked closing the box and approaching the stairs.

“ _ Of course, I was heading back there anyway, _ ” David replied looking around for his car keys.

Max ran up the stairs in a sprint and rummaged through her looking for clothes halfway acceptable to attend a meeting in.  

“ _ Hey Chlo, I’ll be back later I’m heading to Blackwell, _ ” Max whispered in Chloe’s ear.

Chloe made a grunt acknowledging she heard Max but was still asleep and dreamt Max asked if she could Chloe a foot rub.  About an hour later Chloe finally awoke from her nap only to find she was alone. She stretched out on the bed trying to find her phone but saw it on the dresser, meaning she had to get up.  Chloe had a few messages from random people but nothing from Max so she headed downstairs to see if she was with David but again Chloe found the first floor as empty as the second. An oversized breakfast started to rear its head and Chloe made way to the bathroom.  She sent a text to Max asking where she was as Chloe sat in the bathroom but no messages immediately came.

As Chloe finished and entered her bedroom she got a message from Max saying she was at Blackwell for a photo project that would last a few days but she would be back for dinner.  Chloe responded saying, “WTF dude, why didn’t you tell me?” which Max said she did but Chloe was half asleep at the time. As she sat on the bed Chloe felt alone again, a feeling that had started to feel foreign to her after the past few days with Max.  She decided to get out of the house for a bit and go see what trouble she could go into at the junkyard.

Chloe had really wanted to go back there as it had been her home away from home, the place that so much happened to Rachel and really was the place she felt the most comfortable.  Driving down the road proved harder than she had thought as tree limbs and random debris still littered the road to the junkyard. Eventually, Chloe made it but had to perform some quick maneuvers to avoid a big pothole right before the entrance.  Surprisingly the place looked just the same as when she left it, with the addition of a few extra cars lining the side. Chloe was happy to see no one around as she parked at the entrance, though her eyes found the spot her Dad’s destroyed car had once been.  In its place now sat a wrecked foreign car that Chloe had no idea was, the fact that the car was gone made a rock hit the bottom of her stomach with the memory of her Dad and the accident.

She made a beeline to the back of the yard and found her hideout still intact and had weathered the storm well.  Chloe pushed open the door and found nothing inside had changed since the day she left, the radio still sat on the wall though battered and surely broken from the rain.  A large tapestry hung against the fall wall and on the wall to her right read,

“Chloe Was Here   
Rachel Was Here   
Max Was Here”

Though the words had begun to fade and wear down with the weather.  Chloe ran her hands over the signatures, feeling the rough surface of the cement blocks.  It had felt like yesterday that everything happened with Rachel and then again with Max, the feelings of those memories flooded her chest forcing her to sit down on a nearby chair.  Chloe put her head in her hands as the thoughts overwhelmed her but no tears came, she had been able to let those days go with Max’s help. She stood back up and exited the shack to try and see what else she could find around the yard.

A deep rough voice echoed through the place that Chloe instantly knew, “ _ Hey Price, where the hell are you? _ ”

Leaning next to Chloe’s upgraded truck was Frank Bowers, her prior drug dealer and someone that had as much interest in Rachel as Chloe did.  Rachel was a shared love of the pair though they never talked about it after she disappeared.

Frank tried his best to mask a smile but it broke through as Chloe got close and gave wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him.  “ _ You better not say I owe you any money if anything you owe me some weed! _ ” Chloe said smiling at Frank.

“ _ No, we’re all good.  I actually stopped selling and have changed my ways, if you will, thanks to Rachel’s Dad. _ ” Frank said though he continued as he saw a puzzled look on Chloe’s face.  “ _ He made me a deal after the storm to help him out and in return, he’d get my record wiped clean and even help me with my new business venture. _ ”

“ _ The more you talk the more confused I get.  Ok so what was the deal and what’s your new business venture, you make a line of Pompidou pet food or something? _ ” Chloe said as she sat down on a nearby broken television.

“ _ I can’t tell you everything but I can tell you he wanted to end all crime especially drugs in Arcadia Bay after Rachel...well you know.  So I’m helping him out a bit when I can and in return, he financially backed my website. _ ” Frank replied.

“ _ Again, more questions than answers here.  You’re making it worse for me! _ ” she said with a frustrated crease starting to appear on her forehead.

Frank laughed at Chloe’s expression and continued, “ _ You’ve got as much as I can give you about what I’m doing for Mr. Price.  But check this out… _ ” 

Frank handed Chloe a business card that read:

“FranksFashions.com - Your elite provider of dog clothing, accessories and the finest in dog treats.

-Frank Bowers, CFO   
-Pompidou, CFO”

Frank smiled at Chloe and asked, “ _ Know what CFO stands? Chief Furry Officer! _ ”

Chloe looked at Frank as if she had no idea who he was.  Frank used to be tough, sold drugs and hurt people when needed and now he’s selling dog clothes online.

“ _ Frank if that’s your real name.  I’m going to need you to go find the real Frank before I kick your ass! _ ” Chloe said actually sounding serious and making backup a step as he laughed out loud.

“ _ Chloe, this was actually Rachel’s idea to sell dog clothes.  She said I could make a lot of money if it was marketed to the right people, and she was right!  In the last week alone I’ve made over $10k and that’s after taxes and costs for everything. It doesn’t hurt that I have Pompidou as the model either, people love him online!  Someone actually made him a twitter and it has over twenty thousand followers, how crazy is that? _ ” Frank said to Chloe.

Chloe sat still in shock at this change of the person she once knew but she settled on the fact that he was happy, successful and not in trouble.

“ _ Whatever, just don’t stand by me if anyone comes here; I can’t tarnish the reputation I worked so hard for, _ ” Chloe said finally accepting the new Frank.

Frank and Chloe took a seat in an abandoned truck seat at the middle of the lot and talked about everything from what happened to his old business partner to what happened to the Prescott family.  As he spoke of Nathan and his family, the old Frank reared its head and the aggressive voice Chloe knew came forth to explain about who was in jail and who managed to leave the country in time. Chloe went on to fill him about Max and their trip as well as the news about them getting engaged.  She chose Frank to be the first person to show her tattoo for, especially since he would appreciate it as much as she did. He sat in silence at the artwork on her arm and just smiled, surely thinking of Rachel. 

Chloe had wanted to know about Rachel everything that with her, Frank said they had a private funeral with just her parents, Frank and even Sera came to say her goodbyes,  Chloe asked where she was buried but Frank struggled to tell Chloe they scattered her ashes at sea since they knew it was the place she loved. He did say they had a grave built for her in the graveyard outside of town and they buried her Tempest costume in remembrance of her.  Frank gave Chloe details of exactly where the grave was in case she felt up to going at some point.

Frank noticed what time it was and said he needed to get back to Pompidou since it was his dinner time.  He and Chloe stood up together and gave each other a parting hug, as Frank walked off he told Chloe there was a surprise for her in the truck he thought she would like.

Chloe arrived at her truck and looked around the truck bed not seeing anything.  She hopped in the driver seat and saw hanging from the rearview mirror something that meant the world to her and had forced tears to again fall down her cheeks.  Frank had attached the Blue feather earring that Rachel had worn the night at the Old Mill when she and Chloe shared their concert together. Chloe kissed the feather, rolled down her window and turned her radio as loud as it would go as she spun her tires leaving the junkyard.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early morning calls Max to continue her photo project with the help of David. Chloe is yet again stuck by herself to kill boredom at all costs and decides to meet up with Steph and Mikey to try her hand at D&D again. Though the game ends quickly, Chloe is introduced to a new game which she really enjoys.

Max slowly crept out of bed at six in the morning to continue her photo exploration of the repair and community efforts in Arcadia Bay.  Her meeting was brief but Principal Wells told her it would only require a few days of her time and all work would be counted as extra credit when the next semester rolled around.  She liked the new camera equipment but missed the simplicity of her Polaroid camera and the photos it captured that an expensive one couldn’t. Max equated it to Chloe’s truck, it was old and beat up yet it had more personality and class than a new truck possibly could.  

Waiting downstairs was David making breakfast for himself and Max before they headed to the school.  David was helping Max immensely in finding sources for photography as he directly helped in the leading of repair efforts around town.  His military training came in quite useful and he even enlisted past military brothers more than willing to help in Arcadia Bay. Though Max would never admit it to Joyce, David’s pancakes rivaled hers and were more than welcomed during the many hours she was putting in around the community.  

Max grabbed her bag of equipment and ran out to join David in his car as it warmed up for the early morning.  The pair left for Blackwell but narrowly missed a cat crossing the road causing David to slam on his brakes causing a loud squeal; luckily the cat crossed unharmed.  The noise shook Chloe from her sleep causing her to look around the room for the source but found nothing. She reached her arm over hoping to find Max but just found a pillow in her place.  Chloe grumbled to herself and kicked the pillow to the floor in anger of Max not being there next to her. She tried her best to go back to sleep but the damage had been and she was awake earlier than she liked.  Chloe sat up seeing it was still dark out and figured she would get on her computer and see what she had missed. Victoria had sent Chloe no less than thirty messages and links for clothing ideas, styles that would fit her personality and even a picture Victoria captured of the three of them.  The picture was really well edited and asked if she could get it framed for the wall. Chloe looked up the owner of the garage in Seattle and sent him a message thanking him for the work they did on her truck and told him she wanted to pursue a career as a car mechanic though she had decided to finish high school first.  She finished her message by asking about local schools she could attend to get her training and where felt would be good for her to go.

Chloe looked up random things online as boredom had set in and she really wasn’t sure what to do with Max gone again.  She checked out Frank’s website and even followed Pompidou’s social media accounts, he was quite cute in the clothes and even gave him a thumbs up on a recent picture.  A post from Steph on her timeline was nearly missed looking for people to join their D&D group today, the only ones currently signed up were Steph and Mikey. Chloe, absolutely lost at what to do, said fuck it and clicked the “I’m Attending” button.  She had a few hours before the game started and decided to visit the diner for a nice breakfast.

Three cars sat parking in the lot, an odd change from what Chloe was used to.  At this time of the morning, everyone would be at Two Whales to get breakfast before starting their day.  Chloe saw this as a positive since fewer people meant less potential for getting hassled early in the morning.  The back booth was open and beckoned Chloe to sit down but Joyce waved at Chloe with a surprised expression.

“ _ Come sit down here, I’m surprised to see you here so early, _ ” Joyce said pouring a cup of coffee for Chloe.

Chloe sat on a barstool in front of Joyce and took the hot steaming coffee in her hands.  “ _ Max and David left and I couldn’t get back to sleep so I figured it was time to have breakfast. _ ”  She took a sip and instantly regretted drinking it without cream or sugar, Joyce found this quite funny.

“ _ So what’s the plan today, going to join Max and David around town? _ ” Joyce asked writing down an order for Chloe and placing in the back for the cook.

Chloe wasn’t fond of being a third wheel, especially one to Max and David.  She enjoyed her one on one time with Max and quite honestly hated sharing her with anyone regardless of how good of a cause its for.  

“ _ I’m going to see Steph and Mikey, hang out with them for a bit.  I don’t want to get in Max’s way, _ ” Chloe said in a mopey voice which Joyce immediately picked up on.

“ _ Chloe, I’ve been trying to think about how best to talk to you about this and this is as good of a time as any seeing that no one is really here yet.  I know about you and Max and about your guys getting engaged. _ ” Joyce said placing her hand over Chloe’s.

“ _ You what? How did you...I mean who told you? _ ” Chloe said shocked yet now fully awake.

“ _ Max’s parents let it slip, they didn’t mean to so please don’t hold it against them, _ ” Joyce continued but was stopped by Chloe.

“ _ Look, if you’re going to try and talk us out of it then you… _ ” Chloe exclaimed but was also stopped.

“ _ Chloe, I love you no matter what, I hope you know that.  If you and Max are happy then I am happy, it’s as simple as that.  I support you both and know you two make each other very happy as friends and more. _ ” Joyce finished, though she noticed Chloe still looked distraught.

“ _ What about David, does he know? _ ” she asked her Mom taking another sip of coffee.

“ _ Of course David knows and he supports you both as well.  He may have beliefs from his younger days but he said when it comes to you, nothing will stand in the way of you being happy. _ ” Joyce said as she handed Chloe her breakfast.

Chloe felt a lot better now that both Joyce and David supported her and Max’s relationship.  She had been searching for the right time to tell them and was a bit uneasy at what David’s response would be.  A large pile of eggs, bacon and a blueberry waffle had been placed before Chloe. Her appetite suddenly appeared with the statement from Joyce and she inhaled the food at a record pace.  A few people had entered the diner while Chloe ate but she was focused on the food and hadn’t recognized anyone entering. Chloe paid for her meal which surprised Joyce and Chloe even gave her Mom a hug goodbye before heading out.  

A message popped up on Chloe’s phone as she closed her truck door, Steph had sent her the location of the meetup and made a point to say how excited she was for Chloe’s new character since Callamastia succumbed to her wounds previously.  Mikey and Steph were meeting at a new coffee shop in town called “The Geek House” which provided a safe environment for members all fandoms especially Dungeons and Dragons. For a moment Chloe had regretted her decision to go but nothing came to mind when she tried to think of something else to do.  Chloe started her truck and drove the shop slower than normal hoping she would make it there after the game had ended.

The coffee shop was actually pretty cool, the walls were lined with posters and memorabilia from various games, TV Shows and movies mostly being of the variety Chloe had never heard of.  Chloe did find a few posters from Hawt Dawg Man and Blade Runner which instantly made her feel better and less out of place than normal. A familiar voice called out from the corner of the room, Stepha had found Chloe and called her over to join.

_ “Good Day weary traveler, I hope you are prepared for an Adventure.  By what name might we call you?” _

_ “You may call me Glithronn, Destroyer of Souls and Eater of Pies.” _

Mikey laughed at the introduction but quickly stopped as he caught a deathly look from Chloe.

“ _ And I am Elamon, wizard of the thi…” _

_ “Third circle, foremost advisor to King Tiberius, and sworn blah blah, _ ” Chloe finished.

“Glithronn, you find yourself standing at the base of a mountain.  At the top, a metal cage extends over the  _ side and inside is a beaten and bruised Elamon sitting hoping to be rescued.  Elamon’s staff is to the side broken in half leaving him powerless. _

_ “What?  I can’t do anything?  That’s not fair Steph…” _

_ “The Game Master has spoken, besides, Chloe needs practice.” _

_ “Glithronn, you have two paths before you.  One takes the long winding road around the side, the other is a weighted elevator that hangs from a frayed rope you can try to climb up.” _

_ “I will climb the rope and bring the staff with me so Elamon can fix it.” _

_ “Roll a dice Chloe please.” _

Chloe rolls a green dice handed to her by Steph which lands on the number two.  Mikey winces at the number and a large smile breaks out across Steph’s face.

_ “As you begin climbing higher and higher you notice the rope begins to make noises.  You look up you to see it is being held by only a few strands and before you know it the rope breaks and you fall to the ground causing your legs to break and your intestines to spill out.  Trying to move forward you accidentally impale yourself on Elamon’s broken staff and the light fades as you succumb to your wounds.” _

A stunned look appears on Chloe’s face as she tries to comprehend what just happened.  “ _ You mean that’s it?  I’m dead? The game is done? _ ”

Steph closes her book and places the figurine she chose to represent Chloe on its side indicating death.  “ _ Everything can change with the roll of a dice.  The staff made you overweight for the rope and caused it to break.  Want to play again? _ ”

Chloe sat defeated and quite angry at the quick death and wanted no part in the game, at least for the remainder of today.  It was apparent she had to think out her characters a lot better and thought it best to enlist Mikey’s help before she played with Steph again.

“ _ My record kinda sucks, I better not get two people killed in a single day, _ ” Chloe said sounding defeated.

“ _ I’m going to head to the church I guess and see if they need any help.  But Chloe, can we meet up tomorrow? I want to talk to you about something.  Are you free for lunch at the diner? _ ” asked Steph.

Chloe thought nothing of the request and agreed to meet Steph the following day for lunch.  Steph packed up the now dead figurine of Glithronn, waved at the pair and exited the front door leaving just Mikey and Chloe.  

“ _ She is brutal, how has Elamon lasted so long against her? _ ” Chloe asked looking for tips.

Mikey closed his book to find Chloe sitting studiously awaiting his every word, he loved that Chloe actually had come to him for advice.  “ _ It takes years to get as good as me, Elamon has lasted so long not by luck but my pure skill and talent. _ ”

Chloe turned her head slightly giving Mikey a look he knew oh too well.  He continued, “ _ Honestly, you just have to assume she is up to no good and has a trick waiting for you.  I’ve lost a lot of blood at the hands of Steph but she has yet to kill Elamon thankfully.  I can help you with a new character if you want sometime. _ ”

“ _ That would be awesome, I want to take her down!  So how’s your brother doing and did your Dad ever get a job? _ ” asked Chloe sincerely.

The expression on Mikey’s face changed a bit to one of angst as he said, “ _ Drew is fine, he actually got really lucky and his knee is just as good as before everything.  He got accepted to a really good college which he makes a point of rubbing in my face every day.  I swear once I get my growth spurt he is going down! My Dad got a job thanks to the storm. He’s been helping with a local construction company and said what he makes from all this work should keep us stable for years.  Things got really bad when Drew got hurt but the storm really helped us out as ironic as it may sound. _ ”

Chloe sat back in her chair relieved at the news, she felt partly responsible for Drew getting attacked and had worried he may never get to play sports again.  Chloe looked at her phone to avoid an awkward silence as Mikey had resumed his reading. She found a new message from the garage owner that went on for pages. Chloe tried to skim the message but felt it deserved her full attention when she was more focused and not in a geeky coffee shop.

Mikey stood up about to sit at one of the available computers and turned back around to Chloe.  “ _ Hey Chloe, do you want to play a computer game with me?  I know it’s not really your thing but I think you’d really enjoy it.  Ever heard of World of Warcraft? _ ”

Chloe’s expression showed she had never heard of the game causing Mikey to lead her over to the computer where he helped her make an account.  The pair sat for hours playing the game and having a really fun time together. As Chloe stood up to stretch she saw the clock on the wall showing it was five minutes before ten at night.  She thanked Mikey for a great day and sped home hoping to catch Max before she went to bed but as she ran up the stairs and opened the bedroom door, lying on the bed still dressed was Max fully asleep and dead to the world.  Chloe loved the sight before her and took a picture with her phone before helping to undress Max and make her a bit more comfortable. As Chloe changed and laid next to Max, the tiniest of voice came from Max and said, “ _ I love you Chlo” _ as she grabbed Chloe’s arm and put it next to hers.  Chloe laid in bed for a bit thinking about the moment she was in, how lucky she was to have Max and how much she wanted to just play the game Mikey introduced her to.


	26. The Awkward Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steph wanted to meet with Chloe about a surprise topic she had mentioned the previous day. What starts as a nice sunny day at the beach begins to unfold as a very weird situation for Chloe. Steph succumbs to Chloe's strong willpower and decides to get a tattoo after admiring Chloe's new ink.

Chloe was determined to see Max before she left today and had woken up at 5:30 A.M. to prepare her breakfast.  A gentle rain had developed overnight and covered the backyard in a beautiful morning dew that shined under the outside light.  Nothing was heard, no birds chirped, no cars honked, Chloe was in amidst an utter silence that both scared her yet brought her a serenity.  The stairs creaked in spots which Chloe had memorized as to avoid detection with her early and late arrivals and departures. 

Rather than the typical pancakes or waffles, Chloe decided to surprise max with an omelet and toast to help Max start her day on the right foot.  She turned on the burner to warm the pan and gathered her needed supplies from the refrigerator placing them on the counter. For years Chloe had been watching Joyce cook and had actually gotten quite good though she had yet perfected some of the recipes Joyce was known for.  The pan came to a warm enough temperature that Chloe cracked a few eggs and let them spread over the surface to get a solid heat all the way around. She added cheese and more cheese and added a healthy sprinkling of tomatoes, onions, cubed ham, mushrooms, and bell peppers. The cheese melted into the additional ingredients and Chloe felt it was the proper time to flip the egg over on its side.  She felt proud of herself as the outside had the perfect crust for her to add a heart shape with a bit of chocolate she found in the cupboard. Chloe didn’t want the chocolate to be overpowering so she added just enough for it to melt in the desired shape. As the omelet was close to finishing she heard footsteps and expected Max to turn the corner but found David in desperate need of coffee.

“ _ Chloe? Did you just get in or something?  That smells great, can you make me one? _ ” he asked, forgetting he was talking to Chloe due to the time of morning.

Chloe didn’t respond in words but preferred to use grumblings as she slid Max’s omelet on a plate and began with the next one.  She decided to add some jalapenos and for David’s picture, she made a tiny penis shape with the bit of remaining chocolate. The design had come out perfectly and even had a tiny hair shape sprouting from the left ball which she knew David would surely appreciate.  Chloe finished both plates just as the tiny steps of Max were heard coming down the steps a few minutes later. She poured two glasses of orange juice and placed both masterpieces on the table for Max and David to devour. The kitchen was now needing some attention so Chloe went to wash her dishes and put away the ingredients.

“ _ Hey Chlo, I love that you made us breakfast but why did you make me a penis? And is that a hair? Gross dude! _ ” A tired Max exclaimed

Chloe ran over before David had sat down and switched plates just as Max had prepared to sink her fork in the warm omelet.  A smile broke out across Max’s face as she found the heart and mouthed “I love you” to Chloe from across the table. David, on the other hand, didn’t appreciate his plate nearly as much and commented how his heart shape seemed a bit off but he cut into the food without a second thought.  Both Max and David thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast and the thought behind it, David had even mentioned he wanted to get Chloe new tires for her truck if she was willing. Chloe felt the kind deed merited a hug so she provided both Max and David hugs as they stood to place their plates in the dishwasher; David not quite sure what to do so he offered a fist bump in return which Chloe gave.

David went upstairs to change leaving Max and Chloe alone in the kitchen which Chloe took full advantage of.  She backed Max against the counter and lifted her up so their faced were at equal heights. Chloe ravaged Max with a variety of kisses all around her head and neck and ran her hands over every inch of Max’s body forcing an exhale of delight from Max’s mouth an inch from Chloe’s ear.  A stray hand from Chloe explored Max’s body as her lips focused on Max’s neck but all action abruptly halted as they heard David starting down the stairs. Max looked utterly wrecked and the expression on Chloe’s face was one of utter delight and satisfaction in accomplishing her goal of pleasing Max.  Chloe told them both to have a great day and she headed back to bed feeling very good about what she had done.

Odd dreams of Max swimming in an eggshell being pursued by Chloe as a shark raced through Chloe’s dreams waking her around noon with a weird sticky sensation that she attributed to the breakfast mess she left on her skin.  A hot shower was in order and luckily no one was home so she had the place to herself. As she got out of bed she noticed a missed message blinked on her phone, it was Steph asking if she wanted to meet up at the beach around one.  Chloe responded with a simple text message back that read “K” and threw her phone on the bed as she pursed the hot shower she so desperately needed.

Chloe decided today was a sleeveless day as she had been dying to show off her new ink to the world.  The rain had stopped and the sun was trying its hardest to peak through the clouds to make the afternoon a welcomed one for a trip to the beach.  Flipping through radio dials resulted in no success of finding quality musical entertainment so Chloe popped in the cassette Skip from PissHead made for her as she departed the driveway on route to the beach.  Not surprisingly, only one car was in the parking lot which Chloe assumed was Steph’s as it had a “Geek Is The New Sexy” bumper sticker on the back. Sitting on a picnic bench a few feet from the lot was Steph looking through her phone completely oblivious to Chloe’s presence.  Chloe walked up behind her and poked Steph in butt completely catching her off guard and resulting in an expletive tirade that included Chloe’s name more than once.

“ _ Looking at porn again?  Gotta be careful who's watching, _ ” Chloe said as she sat down at the opposite side of the bench.

“ _ Actually I googled the word “asshole” online but it just kept showing a picture of your face, _ ” Steph tried to counter Chloe with but failed.

“ _ Wait, you were looking for assholes?  I think I have a mirror in my car if you need to borrow it.. _ ” Chloe stated providing a fierce blow to Steph.

All Steph managed to reply with was “Whatever” as she continued her phone usage.

The silence got awkward as Chloe had no idea why she was there or what Steph wanted.  Finally, Chloe cleared her throat reminding Steph she was still present and being ignored.

Steph finally grasped that Chloe was getting annoyed and said, “ _ I umm had a question for you and it’s not D&D related.  What do you think of girls being into….other….girls? _ ”

Chloe wasn’t quite sure where the question was coming from.  Steph surely had to know Chloe had was with Max and was definitely into girls but the question still made her think of her to properly answer.

“ _ I’m cool with girls being into other girls.  I mean, who wants to see a nasty wrinkly penis anyways, right? _ ” awkwardly Chloe answered trying to lighten the tension.

Steph returned with an equally awkward laugh that felt forced and fake to Chloe.  The conversation was suddenly really strange so Chloe came out and asked, “ _ What’s up Steph, you need some advice or something? _ ”

Beyond the parking lot, a car honked its horn as it passed by the beach causing to turn and look behind her.  As she turned back, Steph was now inches from her face and within an instant, Steph’s lips met Chloe’s for a simple kiss completely unreciprocated by Chloe.

Chloe stood up, wiped her lips and said, “ _ Dude, what the fuck? _ ”

“ _ Chloe, I really like you and I thought you kinda liked me.  I mean, we game together and you liked my picture yesterday.  I know it’s fast but I couldn’t keep it in anymore. _ ” Steph responded in a hurried voice.

The previous Chloe would have berated Steph with a menagerie of curse words and saying that would destroy the egos of most men but she knew it was Steph and didn’t want to hurt her feelings any more than she had to.  Chloe sat back down and pulled Steph down next to her.

“ _ See this tattoo?  This is a present from the person I most love in this world and the one person I will be spending eternity with.  I’m sorry if you felt I liked you more than friends but Max is my one and only and the person I never wanted to be without and I hope you can respect that.  Besides, you’ve killed me twice now and Chloe Price does not give three chances! _ ” Chloe said smiling at Steph.

“ _ I feel like such an idiot, I didn’t know you and Max were together, I am so sorry I kissed you.  Please don’t tell Max, the last thing I want is to hurt Max or you for that matter. If you don’t want to play D&D with me and Mikey again I understand. _ ” Steph said placing her head in her hands out of pure embarrassment.

“ _ Dude we’re cool, I’ll kick your ass in game next time now that Mikey is helping me! _ ” Chloe said taking an aggressive stance in front of Steph that made her smile and helped to ease the tension.

Chloe and Steph sat talking about Dungeons and Dragons for the next two hours and went over the basics for Chloe to be more effective the next time.  Chloe noticed Steph kept looking her new tattoo and made the suggestion that Steph needed some ink on her skin which she felt unsure about but ultimately agreed to a small tattoo somewhere people couldn’t see it.  The suggestion was made by Chloe for Steph to get a big tattoo acroThreher forehead that reads “I Dig Chicks” to hopefully enhance Steph’s chances at getting a girl of her own.

The discussion turned to tattoos and Chloe helped to find Steph a great design and even offered the services of her friend if she wanted to go.  Steph said she would think about it though Chloe goaded her on and even offered to hook Steph up with a woman, though she had no idea who. Finally, Steph bowed to the strong will of Chloe and figured a small tattoo where people couldn’t see it wouldn’t hurt.  Chloe drove Steph to her friend for a new tattoo and Steph changed her mind last minute and drew out a beautiful dragon that matched her necklace. Chloe and the tattoo artist tried convincing Steph to get the tattoo covering her back but stuck with a smaller version just above her right should blade.  The tattoo artist added an amazing palette of color to Stepha’s black and white drawing and gave the tattoo a whole new level of detail. Steph saw the work and said she should’ve gotten the larger version as they suggested by quite liked the small dragon that only she could see.

Another late night found Chloe as she, Steph and her friend looked at designs, shared artwork and talked about nothing in particular.  Chloe lucked out as Olivia, one of the artists had been in the shop and quite liked Steph’s new design. With the help of Chloe, Steph asked Olivia out which she smiled and agreed completely ignoring the six-year age difference.  Chloe stepped outside to get some air and exchanged text messages with Max about each other’s day and the various things they would like to do to each other. Before heading inside Max told Chloe she had a surprise for her tomorrow but she was headed to bed after a really long day.  They both ended on “I Love You” as Chloe headed back inside to see how well she had done as Steph’s wingman for the night. Steph sat next to Olivia talking quietly to each other and both smiling as they enjoyed each other’s company.


	27. Captain Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe prepares a perfect date for her and Max on a secluded island where they find a hidden waterfall and the perfect setting for an afternoon picnic. Though Max gets burned, Chloe has the solution for it and provides Max with the perfect dessert,

It was another late night for Chloe, she stayed up to plan the next day’s events with Max and even called in some favors.  Luckily Max was taking the day off and didn’t require an early morning for her or Chloe and could sleep in as late as they wanted.  Chloe had weird dreams of Steph and Olivia, the tattoo artist, making out as she and Max watched the pair. It had turned Chloe on enough to cause a bit of an accident in the bed, though Max was fully unaware.  

 

Chloe woke up shortly before Max and quickly changed clothes hoping the wet spot went unnoticed.  As she looked out the window, Chloe found the sun out in full force with no clouds in sight and perfect weather for her plans with Max.  The pair were now wide awake and discussing the night previous with Steph getting a tattoo, though Chloe chose to leave out the kiss for now but fully intended on telling her soon.

 

“ _Are all the crew accounted for and has the deck been thoroughly pooped?_ ” Chloe asked in her pirate voice.

 

“ _Captain Price, aye all crew are present and I don’t have to poop so let’s heave-ho,_ ” Max replied tying a bandana to her head and grabbing the bags Chloe had packed.

 

Chloe and Max headed about a mile from the beach entrance to a boat dock with a man on an average sized fishing boat awaiting the pair.  Chloe gave the main a fist bump and helped Max aboard with the items in tow. As they set off, Chloe’s stomach started to turn a bit with the waves rocking them back in forth but she knew it would be over soon as they were getting close to the destination.  In the distance, Max caught sight of a small island local residents called “Lover’s Leap” due to the waterfall people jump off at the rear of the island. It was heavily coated with trees and a wide variety of birds but local park rangers kept it well maintained so there was little fear of getting hurt.

 

The water got shallow the closer the boat approached the island so he helped Max and Chloe walk through the water to the shore.  He told them he’d be back in a few hours and handed Chloe a radio so they could communicate if needed. The man waded through the water to his boat and slowly left the pair standing on the beach alone.  

 

“ _Sooo, what’s the plan Captain?_ ” asked Max unsure of what was in store for her.

 

“ _Tis a secret but to find the treasure we must remove our earthly clothes and return to nature as we were made,_ ” said Chloe as she started removing her clothing hoping Max would follow suit.

 

Max looked around for other people and was obviously uneasy about getting naked.  With just Chloe she felt comfortable but what if other people were on the island and heaven forbid they have cameras.

 

“ _Dude, there is no one here except you and me.  I asked the fisherman and he said no one has been here since last week and they only came for a few hours so it’s totally safe.  Besides, I have the clothes with us if we need a quick change. Arr matey, tis safe. Captain Price dare not lie to his crew,_ ” She said trying to assure Max.

 

Max left out a large sign and slowly removed her clothes placing them in the back with the rest of the items.  Chloe gave Max a gentle slap on the cheek and moved down the path that led to the waterfall above. The island was stunning this time of year, the trees and flowers were lush and full of life and the birds sang from every angle all around Max and Chloe.  Chloe slowed down and grabbed Max’s hand in hers and assumed a gingerly pace up the path. Max had made sure to bring her camera and took a plethora of pictures of flowers and interesting things that struck her artistic eye. She even held Chloe back to take a naked selfie, though it featured them from the neck up.

 

Chloe retrieved two cold bottles of water from the bag and handed one to Max as they had been walking twenty minutes and the day was warm.  The cool water felt amazing against their warm skin and even better down their throats as they consumed half the bottle. They continued their pace up the path and found a sign indicating the waterfall was ahead to the right.  As they approached the opening, a wild rush of water was heard that seemed to drown out the birds above. Looking down to the lake below, Chloe and Max found the waterfall fed a very deep and blue body of water that linked to the ocean downstream.  

 

“ _We’re not going to jump, are we?  I mean, this view right here is perfect!_ ” A scared Max asked the Captain.

 

“ _Time to walk the plank matey!_ ” Chloe replied poking Max in the back gently.  

 

Chloe tied a rope to the bag and lowered it down the beach below and dropped the end of the long rope as the bag hit the sand.  She stretched back and rubbed her stomach avoiding the long fall and found Max staring at her.

 

“ _It’s fine, I’ll go first if you’re too scared…_ ” Chloe said trying to get Max to go first in hopes that Chloe wouldn’t have to.

 

Max stood back with arms crossed awaiting Chloe to take the leap but Chloe continued stretching in various angles.  Finally, she gathered enough courage and jumped forward letting her legs drop first. The fall felt like it took ages and the sense of expectancy caused even more adrenaline to rush through Chloe’s veins.  With a large splash, Chloe hit the water feet first and swam to the shore screaming in excitement at what she had just accomplished.

She caught her breath and grabbed a towel from the bag only to see Max peering over the side making sure Chloe was okay.

 

“ _It’s fine Super-Max, the water is warm and it’s totally safe,_ ” Chloe yelled though lying about the water being warm as it was frigid.

 

Max took her time and judged the various angles she could jump from, finding none with a shorter distance to the water than the others.  She stepped back a few feet and got a running start and Max landed as gracefully as Chloe but screamed out as her warm skin met the cold water.  

“ _You liar, it’s freezing!_ ” she yelled as she threw Chloe’s towel on the ground and yanked her in the water.  

 

The pair played in the water trying to dunk and splash each other before exiting the cold water in search of dry towels.  They wrapped themselves up trying to warm and Chloe grabbed the bag heading to a small path down the side of the lake. As the path wound up the hill, it opened up to a breathtaking sight of the endless ocean for as far as they could see.  Chloe placed a blanket on the ground and pulled Max down next to her and kissed her passionately for what felt like ten minutes.

 

Both Chloe and Max very warm as they shared body heat together as well as a few other things.  Chloe laid Max next to her and opened the bag finding the food she had prepared for the outing.  She laid two plastic plates on the blanket and placed two cold slices of pizza on each plate making Max beam from ear to ear.  Next, Chloe removed a fancy looking bottle of wine and poured two cups full of the lavender liquid. She handed a cup to Max and they clinked each other’s plastic cup before drinking half the wine in one large guzzle.  Max and Chloe both felt an instant warm feeling flow from their chest to their feet and back up to their heads as the alcohol kicked in. Chloe refilled both their glasses as they snacked on the pizza and enjoyed the view before them.  Max laid back pulling Chloe with her and they laid there looking above to the tree canopy. They didn’t say a word but simply enjoyed each other’s presence and the time they got the share together. Chloe kissed Max’s tattoo as it was healing and continued kissing Max passionately from her arm to her chest and continuing further where her mouth felt like going.  A loud moan of ecstasy escaped Max’s mouth which continued to get louder and more hurried. In minutes it had ended with a sweat-drenched passionate play of two women in absolute love. Max decided to repay the favor and left Chloe shaking with the pleasurable pain that swelled in her body.

 

Chloe found the sun had made its way into and would soon be setting for the night.  She turned on the radio the fisherman gave her and let him know they would be ready in thirty minutes.  The fisherman replied he was on the way and to meet at the place he dropped them both off at. Chloe and Max packed up their items and Max took a moment to take a final few pictures of the beautiful experience they had shared.  The pair took the path to the shore on the other side of the island and dressed before leaving the closed canopy of trees. Chloe noticed Max had gotten a sunburn on her back and knew a nice aloe vera massage would end their evening off right.  

 

The boat ride back was much calmer as the waves had settled down quite a bit.  Max and Chloe thanked the man and headed home just as the sun hit the horizon. Joyce and David were both in the kitchen making dinner and asked how their day was.  Chloe simply replied it was “wet” and both Max and Chloe laughed at the inside joke. Finally, all four people had successfully found the time to have a family dinner which made an end to a perfect day.  Chloe made good on her promise and smeared aloe vera on Max’s back as Max fell asleep below Chloe. She laid there watching Max sleep and appreciating the day and how lucky she was to have someone so amazing as Max.  Chloe overflowed with love for Max and kissed her goodnight before joining Max in the dreams.


	28. The Job Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The photo project continues for Max as she visits a few places around Arcadia Bay hoping to capture those moments that will be captured well. Chloe tags along hoping to spend some time with Max and lends emotional support to a little girl that reminds Chloe of herself. A job offer rocks Chloe and Max's world possible changing everything for the pair.

Another early morning came around for Max and David was unable to drive in town so Chloe had been her next option for a lift.  Chloe fought but lost to Max’s beauty and charm and gave her a ride to Blackwell for another day of photography. Today was different in that Chloe stayed rather than heading back to the cozy confines of her bed.  She wanted to support Max take an interest in what was keeping her so busy the past few days. Max more than welcomed the company as well as the extra hands to tote around the equipment she needed. Chloe made it a point to say how much easier it was with just a Polaroid camera which Max chose to ignore.

 

Today’s agenda included visiting a local elementary school to see how the children were coping with the recovery, visit a senior citizen home and visiting the church to capture lunch being served to the town.  Kate and Max had been spending a lot of time together which Max thoroughly enjoyed as she saw first hand how well Kate was doing compared to the rainy day on the roof when she tried to jump. As Max took pictures of the elementary school class, Chloe noticed a young girl sitting by herself in the back of the room drawing on a thick notepad.  Chloe approached the little girl and sat for a minute before she spoke.

 

“ _ Why Aren’t you with the rest of the class? _ ” she asked the girl in a higher than normal pitch.

 

The little girl just shrugged and continued drawing.  Chloe looked over the girl’s shoulder to see an immense amount of talent and heart being poured on the page.  A beautiful rainbow unicorn walking along on the beach behind a group of horses in a group ahead.

 

“ _ You know, Max and I are a lot like that unicorn in several ways.  We’re usually left behind and not invited to be a part of the group.  You ever feel like that? _ ” Chloe asked as she watched the girl draw.

 

“ _ I guess, _ ” the girl replied in a soft serene voice.

 

“ _ You know, being alone isn’t a bad thing.  Most days I am by myself doing what I want but I found that it’s not that others won't let me join but more that I push away the group.  I don’t know why I do it, sometimes I think it’s easier to be alone than to be open and let people in. _ ”  Chloe said to the girl in a more hushed tone.

 

“ _ I know what you mean, after my Mom died I stopped talking to people and just starting drawing.  It got easier to do this than have people ask me questions about her. I miss my Mom, _ ” The girl said as she closed her book.

 

Chloe put a hand on the little girl’s shoulder and said,  _ “When I was younger I lost my Dad too.  Then my best friend Max there moved away when I needed her most.  I felt lost and just stopped caring because it felt like no one cared about me.  I pushed away a lot of people that would’ve helped me through those hard times just because it was easier to push than letting people in.  Those kids over there, you have something they don’t and they just want to be able to appreciate you and your gifts. It’s not every day you get to see a rainbow unicorn, I know I’d like to be friends with one! _ ” Chloe added giving the girl a friendly rub on the back.

 

The girl nodded in agreement with Chloe and said, “ _ That makes sense I guess.  Do you think they’ll hate me if I were gay? _ ”

 

An overwhelming lump hit Chloe’s throat causing tears to form in her eyes.  Chloe sat there for a moment trying to suppress the tears so she could answer the question.

 

“ _ I think that would give them even more reason to want to be around you.  Max, over there is a lot like you, she likes rainbows and she’s actually going to marry me.  Some people won’t understand you and may even give you grief over how special you but just know that you are perfect exactly as you are and no one can ever take that away from you! _ ” Chloe replied as she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

 

The girl stood and, Chloe a hug and said, “ _ I’m Sam, would you mind if I went and joined them now? _ ” 

 

Chloe nodded and waved as she walked over to the group of children.  As she walked over, a few of the kids made a seat on the ground for her next to them and commented on how cool her drawing looked.  Max stood in the corner capturing every precious second of Sam and Chloe as tears trickled down her cheeks. As Max put the camera down a few inches she mouthed to Chloe “I love you” which reciprocated and took a moment to compose herself before leaving the room.

 

As Chloe shuttled Max to her next stop, Chloe went into great detail about what she and Sam had spoken about.  Max provided spectacular emotions at the pivotal points and even thanked Chloe for what she said to the little girl.  Chloe’s phone sounded off with a new message, as she went to grab it Max slapped her hand back and picked up the phone telling her you shouldn't text and drive.  Max read the message to Chloe, Joyce had needed Chloe to stop at the diner to sign some papers for Blackwell. Chloe told Max she would drop her off at the retirement home and head to the diner.  As Max exited the truck at her next stop, she turned back around and gave Chloe a kiss on the lips goodbye and shut the door behind her.

 

Joyce had a stack of papers waiting for Chloe in the back office, mostly legal documents saying the Price family wouldn’t sue the school and that she would be allowed back in for no charge and her previous disciplinary record would be expunged.  Chloe made a joke to Joyce about how they could sue the school which Joyce quickly shut down and told Chloe to just sign them. After a mere one hundred and twenty-two pages, Chloe had finished and felt an odd relief that she was able to return to Blackwell with Max and start fresh.  The thought of what she told Sam played through her mind and Chloe made a promise to herself to not push people away this time but try and live up to the person she wanted to be.

 

Chloe grabbed a few slices of sizzling bacon, kissed her Mom on the cheek and headed out to her truck to meet up with Max.  Midway between the diner and the retirement home, Chloe came upon a broken down classic Ford car that seemed to call her to stop.  The car was stunning and seemed to glow in the sunlight as she slowed down. At the front of the car was an older man peeking under the hood trying to determine what happened to cause the breakdown.  Chloe slowly pulled over in front of him on the shoulder and assessed the situation to make sure it wasn’t some crazy ploy to kidnap her.

 

As the man caught sight of Chloe, he looked past her and found the gorgeously rusted truck Chloe drove as well as the sound of the engine that purred beneath the hood.  Chloe shut the engine off, placed a knife in her back pocket and headed over to the aged man.

 

“ _ I like your car, what year is she? _ ” Chloe asked but keeping her distance from the man.

 

“ _ She’s a 56’ Ford Sunliner.  You a car person I take it? _ ” He said placing the rag in his hand on the bumper.

 

“ _ I’m getting there, I have a way with old cars.  Mind if I take a look? _ ” Chloe asked hoping to see what he was hiding behind him.

 

The man moved aside and opened his arm inviting Chloe to take a look.  Chloe took a thorough look through the engine appreciating each little piece as had previously been shown to her.  Finally, Chloe found a screw loose that was linked to the starter. She took the knife from her back pocket, popped it open and used it to tighten the screw making sure to not scratch any of the chrome or other parts.  Chloe took another look and didn't see anything out of place and told the man to give it a shot. The man didn’t give Chloe the look she had expected, she was awaiting a snort and a “what do women know about cars” expression but he simply sat in the driver’s seat and turned the key.  The engine came to life and started instantly, Chloe loved that she found the problem and was able to fix it.

 

“ _ I’ve been here for two hours trying to figure out what was wrong, but it only took you two minutes, _ ” he said beaming at Chloe.

 

“ _ A wise man in Seattle gave me some advice and I simply followed it.  I’m hoping to do this professionally some day, _ ” Chloe replied slowly closing the hood.

 

The man reached into his passenger seat and took out a small card then handing it to Chloe.

 

“ _ My name is John Thompson, I own a company that restores beauties like yours and I think you’d be a great fit.  Tell you what, if you accept then I’ll help you get all the training you need as well as make you a lot of money for your passion.  What do you say, I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name, _ ” The man offered to Chloe as he extended his hand hoping for a hand in return.

 

“ _ Wow, that sounds amazing!  My name is Chloe, are you really serious about this? _ ” Chloe said sounding hesitant and not yet extending her hand to shake his.

 

“ _ Chloe, you have my word as long as you come out to New York and join us.  I happen to have three of the greatest female master mechanics I think you’d quite like to learn from. _ ” He said still extending his hand.

 

“ _ Oh, New York?  I mean, I don’t about New York.  I’ve always wanted to go but live there?  Would you mind if I thought about it and talked to my family? _ ”  She asked John.

 

“ _ Of course, take all the time you need, I completely understand.  And if you want, come out and visit for a week and see what it’s all about.  I think you’ll quite like New York and you’ll get to be around cars like these all day every day.  Just call me anytime Chloe, _ ” the man said as he lowered his hand and headed back to his car. 

 

Chloe stood back as the man eased out onto the road and thanked Chloe for stopping.  She stood there in shock as the man drove away and just looked down at the card he handed her.  Chloe was awoken from her state as Max called her phone that rang from the passenger seat. Remembering she had to pick Max up, Chloe fastened her seatbelt and hurried to the retirement home where she found Max waiting at the curb.

 

“ _ That smell, you never get used to it.  Is that how we’ll smell when we get old? _ ” Max said putting her bags in the bag.  “ _ Chloe, you okay?  You look like you just got punched in the nuts, if you had any. _ ” Max said as she laughed at her own joke.

 

Chloe handed the business card to Max and said, “ _ He just made me a job offer.  He’s going to train me and I’ll get to work on classic cars and restore them and he’s going to pay me very well. _ ” Chloe said in a monotone still-shocked voice.

 

“ _ Chloe, that sounds awesome!  I love how things seem to just work out when you need them to.  So where is he in Arcadia Bay? Is he in one of these new buildings going up? _ ”  Max asked utterly enthused at the news.

 

“ _ The job is in New York, _ ” Chloe said slowly.

  
Max’s expression turned to match Chloe’s and all she said in response was, “ _ oh. _ ”


	29. The Secret Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is finally finished with her portion of the project and is handing over the reins to the next participant. While Chloe and Max tour the school, they meet the person and are unintentionally viewing parties to a secret kiss that neither saw coming.

Things were left in a strange state after Chloe told Max about her pending job offer in New York.  The pair talked about it briefly but by no means made a decision. Both Max and Chloe thought it was a big change that warranted serious thought before deciding their future together.  The art scene definitely appealed to Max but there was so much tying her to the West Coast and the thought of her parents being so far away added to the stress of it all. They both tossed and turned at the news and sleep last briefly for the pair.

 

Max was meeting the end of her portion for the project and appreciated how much she got to see the past few days.  Though her time with Chloe had been limited, she felt even closer to her now and knew Chloe felt the same way. Today Max would meet the person taking over the next portion of the project and hand over the reigns for the photo side.  She had no idea what it was but did know a current student took the role.

 

Breakfast had been light, neither Max or Chloe was really hungry which Joyce picked up on and asked how the two were.  Chloe provided her Mom with a fake smile and said they were great, though Joyce’s motherly instinct told her otherwise but did not push.  Knowing they needed something more, Joyce gave both Max and Chloe Chocolate Macchiatos in hopes it would put help them both to feel better.  Joyce had been trying her hand at fancier drinks and used Chloe and Max as test dummies, which they definitely enjoyed.

 

Chloe and Max headed to Blackwell to meet with Max’s replacement and walk around the campus a bit to see everything that had changed.  The load was considerably lighter today since Max didn’t need her camera gear but simply brought along her polaroid for those moments she needed to capture for herself.  Chloe came across a poster for The Tempest the school was going to put on prior to classes ending abruptly; she simply stared at it remembering Rachel and her intro to acting.

 

“ _I never told you but I saw you in that play, someone put it online and sent me a link to watch it.  That was actually the moment I really knew there was something more in my heart than friends for you.  I won’t lie, I was jealous of Rachel in that play. I wished that I could be her, have this magical power over you to do my bidding as I saw fit,_ ” Max said staring at the poster with Chloe.

 

Chloe stood motionless staring at the poster and processing what Max had just told her.  So many thoughts ran rampant through Chloe’s mind about Rachel, Max, the play and everything she felt that she was not quite able to express in words.

 

Chloe turned to Max and held her and before saying, “ _We shall fly beyond this isle, the corners of the world our mere prologue.  I’ll seek to make thy happiness so great that even the name of liberty’s forgot.  What sayest thou to my most hopeful wish?_ ”

 

Chloe bent down on her knee awaiting Max’s response but no words came.  Max bent down with Chloe looking at her and kissed the tear running down Chloe’s cheek then kissed her lips as tears began to flow down the cheeks of Max.  No words were required to express their feelings at that moment, they both knew and had known without doubt about their love and the life they would share together.  

 

At that moment a voice came forth to say, “ _I still think I would’ve done better!_ ” Victoria stood up from her seat next to the tree and hugged both Max and Chloe and shared in the tears of emotion overwhelming them all.  Chloe wanted fiercely to make a witty remark at Victoria’s expense but decided against it and opted for a middle finger which Chloe was so well known for.

 

The trio walked into Blackwell behind Max and let her be the guide as she knew what all had changed on the campus.  Max pointed out the new areas and renovated rooms that had been damaged during the storm as well as the brand new state of the art Olympic size pool that sat in place of the old one.  Chloe gave Max a grin behind Victoria’s back reminding her of the Sharks and Otter’s game they had played here previously. Victoria and Max changed topics to the project and went into great detail that lost Chloe’s complete interest as she now chose to play a game on her phone and tune out the pair.  Max showed Victoria all the pictures she had taken and appreciated the kind response from Victoria which she was unsure would happen. The fear that Victoria would become her old self again hung deep in Max’s chest before this day. She desperately wanted to have a friendship with Victoria and hoped the attitude change wasn’t just temporary.

 

Victoria said goodbye to the pair and headed to her meeting with Principal Wells leaving Max and Chloe alone once more.  Chloe joked about going swimming but knew it would take too long to fill up the pool so opted to take a visit to the infamous bathroom Chloe had previously defaced.  The pair took a few minutes to remind each other of the fiery hot passion present before continuing on the tour of the school.

 

Max tried her best to entertain Chloe but found her attention had drifted to the new Science laboratory and the overabundance of chemicals sitting in the open awaiting Chloe’s eager hands to mix them all together.  Chloe tried to enter the room but it had been locked and only gave Chloe view from the window. They ventured to the dorms which had been untouched by anyone since the storm and took their time to explore the halls and see what all rooms they could get into.  Max still had the key to her room and managed to pack a few things she had completely forgotten existed. Chloe sat on the bed hinting at some extracurricular activities which Max just grinned at and continued searching through her possessions.

 

They entered the hallway and heard voices coming from the front door prompting them both to hide back in Max’s room.  The voices got closer and stopped a few from Max’s room when they both figured out the pair was Victoria and Kater talking about a personal matter in a hushed voice.  Victoria sounded a bit aggressive and Kate more hesitant in her words though nothing could be made out. Chloe cracked the door open a bit and saw Kate against the wall with Victoria in front of her possible an inch away.  She felt Victoria may be up to her old ways and was about to rush out when Victoria leaned forward and kissed Kate square on the lips leaving both Max and Chloe in utter shock.

 

The voices of Victoria and Kate were louder after that action, “ _I’m so sorry Kate, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.  Seeing you again brought it all up again. I really didn’t mean to…_ ” Victoria said, holding back tears.

 

“ _It’s okay Victoria, I understand.  To be quite honest, the last few weeks has given me a lot of time to think about things and your emails have really helped me a lot to recover from everything that happened,_ ” Kate said as Victoria took a seat on the floor near her.  Victoria broke out in an overwhelming show of emotion, the moment was too much for her and her feelings for Kate had not been reciprocated which added to the pain.  Kate sat on the floor in front of Victoria and reached forward to hug her. Victoria fell into Kate’s shoulder letting out the emotion that had gotten the best of her and each other wrapped their arms embracing in a deep hug.  What felt like an eternity passed but had only been seconds when Victoria slowly pulled her face from Kate’s shoulder and had an expression of utter hurt when Kate slowly inched forward and kissed Victoria on the lips. Kate did not lose herself in this moment but let forward one single and powerful kiss that was so electric that Max and Chloe felt surge through their skin.

 

Chloe slowly closed the door feeling they had intruded too much in this extremely powerful moment.  Max wanted to see more but Chloe pinned her down on the ground enjoying the struggle from Max. After a few minutes, Chloe heard the pair leave together and felt it was safe to leave as well.  Chloe and Max were still in shock at what they had witnessed but both agreed to not tell anyone, even Kate and Victoria. They knew how tough it would be for Kate and Victoria if anyone found out, especially with Kate being a part of such a religious family.

 

Chloe drove Max back to the Two Whales Diner for lunch as the show had awoken a fierce hunger in the pair.  Joyce waved them as they entered and pointed at the back where Kate and Victoria were eating lunch, both sitting on opposite sides of each other.  Victoria saw them enter and waved them over, most likely hoping to break the tension with their presence. Chloe sat next to Victoria leaving Max to sit next to Kate who tried masking her extreme happiness but was unable to do so as she greeted the pair with massive hugs.  The four sat there for hours talking about everything possible and usually laughing at the expense of Chloe, which she didn’t mind at all. Beneath the table, Max held the hand of Chloe and, unbeknownst to them, Victoria and Kate were holding hands as well, though no one would ever know thanks to the silence of Max and Chloe.


	30. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise guests arrive at the Price home and provide a hopeful new beginning for Max and Chloe in Arcadia Bay. The pair talk about the job option in New York and what their immediate plans are, especially with classes starting back in a few weeks.

The morning light crept down slowly across the room eventually finding Chloe and Max lying side by side atop Chloe’s bed.  The morning was warm and required no covers but Max felt the heat radiate from Chloe’s chest as it rose and fell with her breath.  No sounds were made, no birds dare sang as to interrupt the perfect sleep that had finally found the two this morning. On the side of the bed were hundreds of pictures Max took the past few days around Arcadia Bay.  Max and Chloe made an honest effort to see them all but they had both been overwhelmed by exhaustion of the previous day’s events. Next to the stack of pictures rested Max’s phone devoid of life and lacking a recharge, Max had fallen asleep before she could plug it in for the night.

 

Today felt like the others, the sun rose and the sky presented no extraordinary events.  But today was different in that Max had made a decision about Chloe’s job offer in New York, though she lacked the perfect time to bring it up.  The only thing Max focused on at the present moment was the warm skin of Chloe, the beating heart next to her ear and the sunlight about to find her face waking her for the day.  The sun crept inch by inch hoping to meet its mark and finally, Max awoke as the beam of light found her face warming it more than comfortable. She wearily looked around the room unsure of where she was but soon remembered she was with Choe in Arcadia Bay.

 

Max let out a fierce yawn and kissed Chloe’s stomach before exiting the bed to change clothes.  The beautiful part about today is that neither Chloe nor Max had plans, the day was completely theirs to do whatever they wanted with.  Max even considered doing absolutely nothing but lay with Chloe till dinner but knew boredom would quickly set in. The sharp beam of light found Chloe’s arm and began creating a very hot point on her skin waking Chloe violently from her sleep.  Max simply watched and waited for the moment, laughing hysterically and Chloe sat upright rubbing her arm.

 

“ _So not cool, you should’ve woke me.  Or at least closed the curtain!_ ” a groggy yet well-rested Chloe said to Max.

 

Max simply sat there appreciating the view before and also thinking about how she could bring up New York.  She decided to put it off for a better moment and proceeded to change into more appropriate clothes for lounging around the house.  Chloe tried going back to sleep but the sun had fully found the entirety of the bed forcing her from up. Today Chloe felt was a good flannel day and donned her favorite red flannel shirt and jeans that felt very comfortable to her.  The day may be too warm for it but she didn’t care, it felt like home to her since she had repurposed it from her Dad’s old clothes. Max choice a lighter option and opted for an Otter’s swimming team shirt she managed to snag while taking pictures.  The material was very soft and was a simple white with the logo on the front.

 

Chloe headed downstairs to see if anyone was still home and was surprised to see a pair of visitors sitting in the living room talking with David and Joyce.  Chloe, not wanting to ruin the surprise, yelled for Max to come downstairs which her footsteps were soon heard bouncing down the stairs. Max turned the corner and found her Mom and Dad sitting in the Price living room absolutely beaming at her.  Max took a solid run and found the embracing arms of her parents.

 

Max sat in between her Mom and Dad and asked, “ _Why are you guys doing here? Don’t you have to work today?_ ”

 

“ _Well, yes, we do have to work today but that’s a part of the surprise.  We get to work remotely from now on and are moving back to Arcadia Bay,_ ” said Vanessa trying to hold back her excitement.

 

Max screamed as the pure joy in her heart was exploding over her ability to contain it and she asked her parents if they were serious which they both nodded to her.  Chloe smiled deeply at Max as their eyes met, the news was terrific and really made the day feel like they were young again before anything bad had happened. Max and her parents talked for ages about all the fine details as the Price family sat appreciated the joy taking place in the living room.  Joyce reached a hand over to meet David’s and they held each other’s hands though Chloe managed to ignore the act and take the higher road. Vanessa and Ryan said their house was being packed at the moment and hoped to take Chloe and Max to go see the new house if they were up to it; both appeared overly eager to see the new home and went to grab their shoes before joining in the Caulfield car.

 

The distance from Chloe’s house to the new Caulfield residence was less than a mile.  They managed to get a great deal on a newly built home, the housing market had suffered so bad they almost got it for the cost to build it.  Ryan and Vanessa led the pair through the house seeing all the fancy amenities and large rooms. The master suite featured two large walk-in closets and a jacuzzi bathtub to soak away the long days.  As the tour came to an end Ryan told them they had a surprise as he opened the patio door and before them appeared a small two bedroom guest house that came with the main residence.

 

“ _If you two want, we thought you’d like to live here and start your life together.  If you want, this is…_ ” Ryan said hoping they would be excited about the offer.

 

Max and Chloe looked at each other trying to gauge each other’s response but at that moment Vanessa handed Chloe a key indicating for them to check it out alone.  Chloe unlocked the front door and found the home to be absolutely perfect. It wasn’t too large an elegant but featured just the right amount of class and personality for Chloe and Max.  In the main bedroom, there were shelves lining the walls and atop the bottom one was a picture obviously placed by Max’s parents. It featured a young Max and Chloe dressed as pirates in the Price backyard.  Chloe picked up the picture appreciating their innocence and how easy things were then and handed it to Max.

 

“ _Max, about New York…_ ” Chloe started saying but was interrupted by Max.

 

“ _I wanted you to accept the job Chlo, I think we will get used to it eventually and the things we can do there would be a lot of fun,_ ” Max said trying to convince Chloe of the decision.

 

“ _Max, I turned down the offer.  I don’t want to be anywhere else but here, with you,_ ” Chloe said in a very serious tone.

 

Max sat on the ground pondering what Chloe just told her and really unsure of what to say.  She looked at the picture and thought about all the memories they had shared in Arcadia Bay and all the people they knew here and the budding friendships that would grow over the next semester.  Max, at least on the inside, had really hoped Chloe didn't want to move to New York but decided to support her if it’s what she wanted to do. She didn’t press the decision further but simply hugged Chloe as their life was truly about to move to a whole new place.  Both sat against the wall appreciating the house and spoke of different designs they wanted. Chloe had a more aggressive design involving graffiti and maybe even a stage for bands to play on. Max had a strong ability to see past Chloe’s crap and knew she was joking.  

 

Max and Chloe re-joined Vanessa and Ryan and told them of their plan to stay in the house.  Chloe didn’t tell them about the job offer in New York but did make mention of her desire to get training as a mechanic and hopefully, someday, open up her own shop.  All four toured the guest house together spouting off ideas about what they could do with the space. Chloe tried for a second time to suggest a stage for a band but no one gave the idea air to breath and simply ignore the comment as they knew Chloe too well.  

 

Only a few weeks were left before school was scheduled to start back up and there was no shortage of items needing to be completed before that day.  The first being to move the Caulfield's back to Arcadia Bay and get them settled. Max and Chloe said they would head back to Seattle in the morning with Ryan and Vanessa to help with any finishing items that would need to be done.  Vanessa brought up the topic of when Max and Chloe would like to get married and started talking about all the things that needed to be done for that.

 

Max simply said, “ _We’re going to get married at the junkyard on July 22nd._ ”  

 

Chloe hugged Max knowing how much it meant to her, especially seeing that day was also Rachel Amber’s birthday.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of the National Novel Writing Month and, as this is my first fan-fic, I hope to make it 30 days. Thank you for giving me a chance.
> 
> Though this is now complete, I will definitely continue the story beyond how it ends in Chapter 30. Please check back soon for a new series for Max and Chloe.


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